Felipe Alonzo-Gomez

How they died

No

An 8-year-old Guatemalan boy died in the custody of U.S. Customs and Border Protection on Christmas. A Border Patrol agent noticed that the child, who was detained while seeking asylum with his father, showed signs of illness. The father and son were taken to a medical center, where the child was initially diagnosed with a common cold. When the boy was evaluated for release, hospital staff found a fever, and he was held for an additional 90 minutes before being released. The boy was given prescriptions for amoxicillin, an antibiotic, and the painkiller ibuprofen. On Monday night, the boy was nauseous and began vomiting and was sent back to the same hospital but died on Tuesday. This incident may be outside of FatalEncounters dataset, which does not include individuals after they've been booked into the jail or prison system. Since the child was applying for asylum in the United States, his incarceration status is uncertain.

Why we remember them

This record exists so that Felipe Alonzo-Gomez, and all who are named in this archive, are never reduced to a number.

References & sources