Dec 25, 2018 - Politics & Policy

Migrant girl's tragic journey home

Axios

JOHAN ORDONEZ/AFP/Getty Images) — Local indigenous women sit next to the coffin of 7-year old Jakelin Caal. Photo: Johan Ordone/AFP/Getty Images

The body of the 7-year-old Guatemalan girl Jakelin Caal, who died while in U.S. custody, was brought home to white balloons and handwritten messages such as “We love you Jakelin” Tuesday, AP's Sonia Pérez D. reports.

"The child's tragic journey began and ended in the village of about 420 people with no paved streets, running water or electricity. Its residents say declining crop yields and lack of work have pushed many in the community to emigrate."

"Villagers wept ... [R]elatives had set up a modest wooden altar flanked by vases and overflowing with flowers, photographs of the child and the hand-lettered message, 'We miss you.'"
"Jakelin's death earlier this month while in the custody of the U.S. Border Patrol was a tragic reminder of the plight of Central American migrants as they make the dangerous voyage through Mexico to seek asylum in the U.S."

Go deeper: UN watchdog calls for probe into death of migrant girl in U.S. custody

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Migrant girl's tragic journey home

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