US Bishops distressed at
young migrant’s death
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| Relatives of Jakelin Caal mourn her death, in Guatemala.- ANSA |
In a statement released on Tuesday, the US Bishops’
Conference Committee on Migration say they are distressed over the death of a
7-year-old girl who had just crossed the Mexico/US border.
By Sr Bernadette Mary Reis, fsp
“We are extremely distressed at the news of
seven-year-old Jakelin Caal Maquin’s death shortly after crossing
the U.S./Mexico border with her father and turning themselves
into CBP (Customs and Border Patrol) in search of asylum in the United States”.
So begins a statementfrom the US Bishops’ Conference
Committee on Migration released on Tuesday. Bishop Joe S. Vásquez of
Austin, Chairman of the USCCB Committee on Migration, Bishop Mark J. Seitz of
El Paso, and Bishop Gerald Kicanas of Las Cruces issued the statement.
What happened to Jakelin Caal Maquin?
As the Church celebrated the Feast of the Immaculate
Conception, Jakelin Caal Maquin life came to an abrupt end. She and her father
were part of a group that had travelled some 3,200 km (2,000 miles) on foot and
by bus from her home in Raxruhá in Guatemala. For the first time in her life,
she was wearing shoes. Along the way, she celebrated her 7th birthday.
It took about a week for the group to make it to the Mexican border with the
US. After paying a human trafficker, they made it to a remote area of New Mexico
on December 6. Shortly after, the group turned themselves into US border
authorities.
While on a bus transporting the migrants to a Border Patrol
Station, Jakelin became ill and her father notified Border Patrol agents. At
the end of the 90-minute bus ride, Jakelin had stopped breathing. She was
airlifted to a hospital in El Paso, Texas on the morning of December 6th and
died shortly after midnight on December 8th. US authorities say that
she died of severe dehydration; her family awaits the results of an autopsy.
Failed immigration policy
The Bishops expressed their sadness to Jakelin’s family
saying, “Our prayers and heart-felt condolences go out to Jakelin’s family”.
When a child dies, they said, life is “disrupted”. Her death, they continue, is
a “profound human consequence of our failed immigration policies, including
also that restrictions on the flow of asylum seekers at the border can push
more families to seek entrance between ports of entry which place them at
greater risk. Jakelin’s death is a tragic reminder of the desperate
situation that many fleeing violence, persecution, and poverty face – both in
their home countries and now at our border.”
Appeal for a change in policy
The Bishops say they look forward to the results of the
investigation being carried out by the Department of Homeland Security. While
recognizing the “work and commitment of US border authorities, the Bishops also
appealed to them to “critically review policies regarding the care of
vulnerable populations in their custody” and offered their assistance in that
area.
Whatsoever you did…
In conclusion, the Bishops put this sad incident into the
context of the Christmas Season which reminds us that Jesus’ own birth took
place after His parents were told there was no room for them.
“We continue to recognize and affirm that seeking asylum
and protection is legal. As a nation, we have the obligation to receive
distraught individuals and families with welcome, compassion, and humane
treatment. We must heed the words of Christ that ‘Whatsoever you did for one of
these least brothers of mine, you did for me’ (Matthew 25:40).”
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