An eight-year-old girl died while being detained by the US Border Patrol in Texas.

The child is believed to be the first to die in border custody since the death of a 16-year-old Guatemalan boy in 2019. : Andres Leighton/AP

An eight-year-old girl died in Texas while being held by the US Border Patrol amid complaints of overcrowding.

She and her family were held at a detention center in Harlingen in the Rio Grande Valley.

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This child is believed to be the first to die in border custody since the death of a 16-year-old Guatemalan boy in 2019.

Customs and Border Protection said the girl required «emergency medical attention ”, and she was taken to a local hospital, where she was pronounced dead.

Details of the girl's condition and nationality have not been released.

Her death has highlighted problems of overcrowding in centers along the border, especially in the Rio Grande Valley, which is one of the busiest corridors for illegal crossings.

End of Section 42

Border Patrol detained 28,717 people on May 10, the day before the Section 42 restrictions expired, allowing migrants to be quickly deported for health reasons.

This is double what was recorded two weeks earlier. .

Despite fears of a new surge, the total number of migrants trying to enter the US has dropped in recent days.

Title 42, introduced by the Trump administration during the Covid pandemic, has resulted in more than 2 people being evicted .8 million migrants.

With the pandemic officially over, the Biden administration allowed Section 42 to expire, causing a surge to the border and forcing authorities to fight the situation, exacerbating the overcrowding crisis. the service began releasing migrants without prior notice to face immigration court, directing them instead to report to the immigration center within 60 days.

Alejandro Majorcas announced new rules, including a ban on illegal entry into the US for at least five years. Photo: JONATHAN ERNST/REUTERS

The Biden administration has come under fire for its handling of the border crisis, with most of the fire directed at Alejandro Mallorcas, the secretary of homeland security.

To stop the tide, Mr. Majorcas announced new rules, including a minimum five-year ban on people who try to enter the US illegally.

He warned migrants not to put their lives and money at risk, as they will sent upon entering the US.