WHAT HAPPENED?

Migrant Woman Dies in Border Custody on Christmas Day

The unidentified woman is said to have had paperwork detailing a pre-existing condition.

A 41-year-old Congolese woman died on Christmas Day in U.S. government custody shortly after entering a border station in south Texas, U.S. Customs and Border Protection said Thursday. CBP said the unidentified woman arrived at an official port of entry in Laredo on Tuesday afternoon and was carrying paperwork that documented a “previous medical condition.” According to the agency, the woman told CBP officers early Wednesday that “she was suffering from abdominal pain and had vomited.” The agency says it contacted emergency personnel “immediately” and had her taken to a local hospital. “The subject’s health declined rapidly and she passed away at the hospital,” the CBP statement said.