The body of the 7-year-old girl who died in US custody returns to Guatemala
Source: CNN
By Emanuella Grinberg and Michelle Mendoza, CNN
Updated 9:45 PM ET, Sun December 23, 2018
Guatemala City, Guatemala (CNN)The body of Jakelin Caal Maquin, a 7-year-old girl who died in US Customs and Border Protection custody, has been returned to Guatemala.
Jakelin's family says she fled the country with her father, Nery Gilberto Caal, 29, in search of a better life. She survived the 2,000-mile journey from northern Guatemala only to die less than 48 hours after Border Patrol agents detained her at a US-Mexico border crossing.
Her body was repatriated to Guatemala on Sunday after being transported by plane from Laredo, Texas. Her remains will be transported to the indigenous community of Raxruha, where she was from.
The remains of Jakelin Caal Maquin were transported to Guatemala on Sunday.
Her death marked another flashpoint in the debate over the Trump administration's hardline approach to immigration enforcement with many -- including Jakelin's family -- wondering if better medical care could have saved her.
Read more: https://www.cnn.com/2018/12/23/americas/guatemala-jakelin-caal-maquin-returns-home/index.html?cid=web-alerts&nsid=24611312