An immigration lawyer is claiming that a little girl has died after contracting a respiratory illness while at an ICE detention center in Texas.
As MSN reports, Houston-based immigration lawyer Mana Yegani posted a series of messages on Twitter late Monday night, claiming that a young girl had died following her detainment at Dilley Family Detention Center in south Texas.
Update: The child died following her stay at an ICE Detention Center, as a result of possible negligent care and a respiratory illness she contracted from one of the other children.
The events took place in Dilley Family Detention Center in south Texas.— Mana Yegani (@Law_Mana) August 1, 2018
The lawyer, who reportedly got her information from another attorney who knows the family of the little girl, said that the girl contracted a respiratory illness and suggested that negligent care while in the detention center may have contributed to her death.
The identity of the girl is not known, and Yegani said on Twitter that she is believed to have relatives in New Jersey.
A lawyer who is in touch with the family is saying the child who died, her grandmother is in New Jersey. Reporters are in touch with her to get more details.
— Mana Yegani (@Law_Mana) August 1, 2018
Authorities have not confirmed reports of the death, and ICE denied in a tweet that the girl died while at the Dilley detention center.
Reports that a child died in ICE custody at Dilley are false.
— ICE (@ICEgov) August 1, 2018
ICE has not yet responded to follow-up questions on Twitter asking to clarify whether the girl became ill while at the Texas detention center but died after being transported to another location.
This is a developing story, and all reports are preliminary and unconfirmed.
CrimeOnline will provide further updates when more information is available.
[Feature image: Protesters demonstrate against ICE detention of immigration activist/Kathy Willens for AP]
