US orders medical checks on migrant children

By Umar Farooq</p> <p>WASHINGTON (AA) – U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) began conducting secondary medical checks on migrant children after two children died in their custody.</p> <p>The CBP said in a statement Tuesday it would conduct checks on all children in their custody, with a focus on those less than 10 years old.</p> <p>The announcement followed the death of a Guatemalan boy, who reportedly died after being apprehended by border agents with his family for illegally crossing into the U.S.</p> <p>According to the agency, the child showed “signs of potential illness” Monday and was taken to a hospital in New Mexico, where he died the next day.</p> <p>Another Guatemalan child died last week in U.S. custody of apparent septic shock.</p> <p>The CBP statement also called for support from other agencies, including the Coast Guard and the Federal Emergency Management Agency, to conduct medical checks.</p> <p>&quot;We need a different approach,&quot; CBP commissioner Kevin McAleenan told CBS News. &quot;We need help from Congress. We need to budget for medical care, and for mental health care for children in our facilities.&quot;</p> <p>Migrants from Central America have been increasingly seeking to reach the U.S. amid widespread poverty and gang violence in the region.</p> <p>Large groups collectively known as &quot;caravans&quot; have drawn the ire of U.S. President Donald Trump, who has deployed military personnel along the border in a bid to thwart potential illegal crossings.</p> <p>The two deaths have surfaced during a partial government shutdown due to a dispute between Congress and U.S. President Donald Trump, who is requesting $5 billion to fund a wall that separates the southern border with Mexico.