US: CBP orders medical check-up for children in custody

After two Guatemalan children died in the custody of US Customs and Border Security (CBP), the agency has ordered medical check-up for all the children in custody.

Al Jazeera quoted CBP statement which asserted that the agency requires the help of other government agencies to provide healthcare.

The agency "is considering options for surge medical assistance" from the Coast Guard and may request help from the US Department of Health and Human Services, the Department of Defense, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

An 8-year-old Guatemalan boy in CBP custody died on the Christmas morning.

Earlier this month, a 7-year-old Guatemalan girl who was taken into United States Border Patrol custody had died of dehydration and shock.

The death of the children in the custody is expected to intensify scrutiny of detention conditions at Border Patrol stations and CBP facilities that are increasingly overwhelmed by large numbers of families seeking asylum in the US.