Miami, FL---Marleine Bastien, Executive Director of Family Action Network Movement (FANM), issued the following statement on the death of 7-year-old Jakelin Caal Maquin. The child died while in the custody of U.S. Border Patrol. She, along with her father, were taken into custody on December 6 and eight hours later died after vomiting and having seizures, and experiencing a temperature of 105 degrees.
“This is a terrible and heartbreaking incident and we must demand accountability from the Border Patrol and the Trump administration. There must be a full investigation so we can understand what happened in the eight hours before Jakelin’s death from dehydration and exhaustion. Did she undergo a health screening when they took her into custody? If so, what was the determination? Was she given water? There are too many questions only a thorough and independent investigation can answer."
“At FANM we believe every life is precious, no matter the status of the person. The death of one child is one too many and the only way to ensure this doesn’t happen again is to investigate what went wrong in this instance so that procedures that protect the sanctity of life can be put in place to prevent another tragedy from taking place. Seeking the truth is the least we should do in Jakelin's memory.”
FANM's mission is to empower low to moderate income families socially, financially, and politically and to give them the tools to transform their communities.