Boy, 3, dies as security call 911 on asylum-seeker bus headed to major US city

12 August 2023 , 11:27

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The boy had crossed into Texas from Mexico and was put on a bus to Chicago (Image: AP)

A three-year-old boy has died while riding a Texas migrant bus to Chicago, according to officials.

The young boy's death is the first time the state has announced a death since it began using buses to shuttle thousands of migrants from the border with Mexico last year. Texas authorities confirmed the child had died on Friday, August 11, in a statement.

They did not say where the child was from or why they became ill. The Illinois Department of Public Health said the child died on Thursday, August 10, in Marion County in southern Illinois.

"Every loss of life is a tragedy," said the Texas Division of Emergency Management in a statement. "Once the child presented with health concerns, the bus pulled over and security personnel on board called 911 for emergency attention."

The child received treatment from paramedics but later died at a hospital, according to the agency. The bus had departed from the Texas border city of Brownsville.

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Migrants wave as a bus leaves to take them to a refugee center outside Union Station in Chicago (AP)

Texas' emergency management agency said all passengers had their temperature taken and were asked if they had any medical conditions. Illinois officials said in a statement they were working with health officials, state police and federal authorities "to the fullest extent possible to get answers in this tragic situation."

US Representative Henry Cuellar, a Democrat whose district includes the Texas border, said Friday night that he had not been briefed on the details of the child's death. However, he did criticise Governor Abbot saying he should be working more with the federal government on border security.

"You can't use the migrants as political pawns. You [have] still got to be accountable to taking care of them, especially if you're transporting kids,"

Texas has transported more than 30,000 migrants by bus to Democratic-controlled cities across the US since last year as part of Republican Governor Greg Abbott's sprawling mission on the border, called Operation Lone Star. Besides Chicago, Texas has also sent buses to Washington, New York, Philadelphia, Denver and Los Angeles.

Mayor Brandon Johnson of Chicago where the bus was headed when the boy became unwell (Kyle Mazza/SOPA Images/REX/Shutterstock)

On Thursday, Governor Abbott freshly touted the bus programme on Twitter, posting: "We will continue busing migrants to sanctuary cities until Biden does his job & secures the border."

Under the programme, the state says migrants sign consent waivers and agree on the destinations where they're headed. Texas officials say the buses are stocked with food and water and that migrants are allowed to get off early at stops before the destination city.

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass called the buses a "despicable stunt" by Governor Abbott after 42 people, including children, were dropped off in the city in June.

Operation Lone Star has come under renewed scrutiny in recent months over additional hard-line measures the governor has authorised in the name of deterring migrants from crossing from Mexico.

Governor Abbott has faced criticism over the buoys placed on the water along the Rio Grande (AFP via Getty Images)

Joe Biden's administration is suing Texas over wrecking-ball-sized buoys which have been placed on the Rio Grande this summer, saying the water barrier poses both environmental and humanitarian concerns.

Texas has also started to separate migrant families on the border in what marks a shift by state police, who previously said families should stay together. Governor Abbott's spokesperson Renae Eze referred questions on Friday night about the child's death to the state's emergency management agency, which has operated the bus programme since it launched in 2022.

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At least four migrant children have died this year in federal custody. It includes an eight-year-old girl from Panama who died in May who had arrived with a heart condition and sickle cell anaemia. Last month, an incident report found Border Patrol does not have protocols for assessing medical needs of children with preexisting conditions.

Fiona Leishman