National Faith Leader Mourns Immigrant Teen who Died in U.S. Custody

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

May 3, 2019

MEDIA CONTACT

Michelle Nealy, mnealy@faithinpubliclife.org, (202) 735-7123

Mackenzie Harris, mharris@faithpubliclife.org, (610)283-8879

National Faith Leader Mourns Immigrant Teen who Died in U.S. Custody

Washington, D.C. — On May 2, news reports revealed that another child migrant has died in U.S. government custody — a 16-year-old year old boy from Guatemala at a detention facility in Texas. He was living in a shelter at a retrofitted Walmart where he fell ill, then spent several days in intensive care before dying.​

Rev. Jennifer Butler, CEO, Faith in Public Life:

“Children are dying in the custody of our government because of the Trump administration’s cruelty and negligence. This disregard for immigrants’ lives and dignity stems from the Trump administration’s white supremacist ideology. My faith teaches me that all children are precious, and that as a nation we have a duty to protect them. The Trump administration has failed in this basic responsibility.”

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Faith in Public Life is a national network of nearly 50,000 clergy and faith leaders united in the prophetic pursuit of justice and the common good.