According to a report from Khaama Press published on thursday, an Afghan youngster, age 6, passed away on June 13 while being held by the US federal government.
After the Taliban gained power in Afghanistan in 2021, he was sent to the US. The boy was suffering from a terminal illness and passed away on June 13, CBS News reported citing anonymous US officials, as per Khaama Press. According to reports, the boy was one of the hundreds of Afghan children who arrived without their parents, after they were evacuated from Afghanistan. They were handed over to the Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Refugee Resettlement. This department accommodates unaccompanied adolescents, including those processed at the US-Mexico border because they arrived in the US without parents or other legal guardians, reported Khaama Press. The child’s death was confirmed by the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) in a statement to the American Network on Thursday. It explained it as being caused by “severe encephalopathy,” a condition linked to a mental illness or problem.
According to Khaama Press, citing CBS News, the boy’s death makes this year’s three unaccompanied child deaths in HHS custody.