by Staff writer
A woman whose toddler died weeks after they were released from a Texas immigrant detention center has filed a law suit against the US government, alleging her daughter had died as a result of the poor medical care provided to them during their time in detention.
Yazmin Juarez, 20, and and her lawyers are seeking $60 million in damages from the US government.
Juarez and her 19-month-old daughter, Mariee, were detained at a facility in Dilley, Texas, “with unsafe conditions, neglectful medical care, and inadequate supervision,” according to her law firm in a statement.
Mariee died in May, six weeks after they were released from the immigration facility.
Juarez and Mariee, who came from Guatemala were detained by ICE (ICE stands for the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency) on March 1 after crossing into the US via the Rio Grande.
They were held for three weeks.
Juarez sought medical treatment for her daughter on March 11 — six days after they arrived at the Dilley facility, her attorney said.
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| Mariee died six weeks after her release from a Texas facility, her mother’s lawyers say. |
As soon as they were released from the facility, Juarez took Mariee to New Jersey, where her mother lives, and sought medical attention the next day.
“After it became clear that Mariee was gravely ill, ICE simply discharged mother and daughter,” Jones said.
“Yazmin immediately sought medical care for her baby, but it was too late.”
“The US government had a duty to provide this little girl with safe, sanitary living conditions and proper medical care but they failed to do that resulting in tragic consequences,” attorney R. Stanton Jones said in a statement.
“Mariee entered Dilley a healthy baby girl and 20 days later was discharged a gravely ill child with a life-threatening respiratory infection. Mariee died just months before her 2nd birthday because ICE and others charged with her medical care neglected to provide the most basic standard of care as her condition rapidly deteriorated and her mother Yazmin pleaded for help.”
