United States Customs and Border Protection has announced changes to its official guidance for care of migrant children under 10 years of age. The move comes after two migrant children died of health problems while in U.S. custody. Department of Homeland Security and Border Patrol officials spoke with reporters on Wednesday about the deaths. The officials said that medical workers had carried out new medical exams of almost all the children in the care of the U.S. Border Patrol. They added that the exams are sometimes “conducted by individuals that are under contract support services to the Border Patrol.” At the U.S. southwestern border with Mexico, there are areas where no medical workers are available. In such places, migrant children are to be sent to medical centers or emergency medical crews for examination.
