A mother whose toddler died after being detained at an ICE facility is suing the U.S. government

(Image credit: Scott Olson/Getty Images)

published 28 November 2018

A mother who says her child died because she did not receive proper medical treatment while they were held in an immigration detention center is filing a legal claim against the U.S. government.

Yazmin Juarez and her one-year-old daughter, Mariee, were detained for three weeks in March at a facility in Dilley, Texas, having come to the U.S. from Guatemala, per CNN. Her attorney says Mariee became ill shortly after they arrived, but she did not receive proper medical care at the detention center. The two were discharged "after it became clear that Mariee was gravely ill," Juarez's attorney says, and Mariee was hospitalized for respiratory failure soon after. But Juarez's attorney says by that point "it was too late," and Mariee died six weeks later. "Mariee entered Dilley a healthy baby girl and 20 days later was discharged a gravely ill child with a life-threatening respiratory infection," Juarez's attorney said.

Juarez is asking for $60 million in her wrongful death claim against Immigration and Customs Enforcement and other federal agencies and plans to file a lawsuit if a settlement is not reached, The Associated Press reports. A spokesperson for ICE said the agency "takes very seriously the health, safety and welfare of those in our care," per CBS News. The facility where Juarez and her daughter were held is the biggest family detention center in the country, with room for up to 2,400 people.

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Brendan worked as a culture writer at The Week from 2018 to 2023, covering the entertainment industry, including film reviews, television recaps, awards season, the box office, major movie franchises and Hollywood gossip. He has written about film and television for outlets including Bloody Disgusting, Showbiz Cheat Sheet, Heavy and The Celebrity Cafe.

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