The U.S. government reports that a 16-year-old Guatemalan died on Monday at a Border Patrol station in South Texas, the fifth death of a migrant child since December.The teenager was apprehended in South Texas’ Rio Grande Valley on May 13th and was found unresponsive Monday morning, May 20th during a welfare check at the agency’s Weslaco, Texas, station. The cause of death is unknown. The agency did not say why the teenager had been detained for a week, but said he was “due for placement” in a facility for youth operated by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. After the deaths of two children ages 7 and 8 in December, the Department of Homeland Security ordered medical checks of all children in its custody and expanded medical screenings.
This phenomenon is not unique to the southern border of the United States but can also be seen worldwide. Immigrants often leave their countries in search for a better life . Furthermore, attempts to adjusting to a new culture and lifestyle spans beyond the pursuit of citizenship.
Pertaining to this current crisis at immigration detention centers in Texas, I would propose the inclusion of healthcare workers and volunteers to screen each individual upon arrival to the U.S, especially children, in order to not only preserve their health status but also protect the public health of citizens by reducing the risk of introducing endemic diseases into the population. This will also prevent the spread of disease in the centers among the detainees and allow people who have come from different backgrounds with different exposures to receive prompt medical care after their long journey to seek refuge in another country. In the case concerning this teenager in Texas, it cannot be confirmed if he was truly medically screened and assessed in a timely or thorough manner.
This can also be translated when concerning the vaccination of travelers into African countries. Immunizations and health records of foreigners must be assessed in order to avoid the introduction of new diseases into our region. Health policy in this regard is not strictly enforced and often medication can only be accessed by people that can afford it which comes as an expense to the people of our communities when resources are allocated to foreigners.
Immigration is not merely a change in citizenship or search for a better life. Its concerns does not only impact job availability, overpopulation or crime rates. Immigration also affects healthcare and health policy and it is imperative to consider how public health affects global health beyond the boundaries of the hospital setting.