“Volunteer Physician Frustrated by Delayed EMS Response as 13-Year-Old Migrant Dies at US-Mexico Border”

Accident – Death – Obituary News : In a tragic incident at the US-Mexico border, Theresa Cheng, an emergency physician and volunteer with mutual aid groups, was unable to save the life of a 13-year-old migrant boy with severe injuries. Cheng had been volunteering at the border when she learned of the boy’s condition and rushed to the encampment where he was waiting to be processed by Border Patrol. Despite her efforts and those of other volunteers who performed CPR, it took nearly an hour for an ambulance and emergency medical services to arrive at the scene. The boy, identified as Dario Zamudio, had suffered traumatic injuries in a car collision on the Mexican side of the border and had been brought to the wall for quicker treatment. Sadly, he did not survive.

Cheng’s frustration is evident as she recalls having expressed concerns about the lack of appropriate response and care by authorities in the camps. She had even asked Border Patrol agents to assist with CPR and requested multiple times to accompany the child in the ambulance, but her requests were denied. This incident has further highlighted the dangers faced by migrants in open-air detention and the inadequate medical care provided. Cheng, along with other medical professionals and mutual aid providers, has been advocating for better medical and humanitarian aid in the camps.

Immigrant rights organizations have filed a complaint against the Department of Homeland Security and Customs and Border Protection, detailing the violations of custody standards and human rights experienced by asylum seekers on the US side of the border. Migrants are being held in freezing temperatures, with limited access to food, water, and medical attention. Border Patrol provides just one water bottle and one small snack per day to migrants at certain locations. Additionally, migrants are exposed to harsh outdoor conditions with no shelter, increasing the risk of hypothermia and other medical emergencies.

Volunteer healthcare workers have been left to triage patients on the ground and can only escalate urgent cases to Border Patrol or emergency medical services. However, they face significant delays in response times and questions about responsibility. Emergency medical dispatch personnel sometimes ask for Border Patrol confirmation of a medical emergency or screen calls from the open-air detention sites, causing further delays. This delay in response is seen as specific to the fact that these individuals are migrants.

Customs and Border Protection claim to provide appropriate medical care and humanitarian assistance, but volunteer medical providers have reported instances of obstruction and refusal to allow them on-site. Some Border Patrol agents deter migrants from seeking medical care by accusing them of faking illnesses. Moreover, migrants are often told that seeking medical care may jeopardize their asylum process or result in family separation, leading them to refuse necessary treatment.

The situation has become dire, with volunteers witnessing heart attacks, pregnant women with complications, and individuals with traumatic injuries who desperately need hospital evaluation. The lack of resources and support from authorities has left volunteers exhausted and frustrated. Even though resources have been allocated to Border Patrol, no additional resources have been provided to address the increasing need for medical care.

This humanitarian crisis has raised concerns about the intentional cruelty and political motivations behind the treatment of migrants at the border. Some believe that the situation is being used as a spectacle to justify further restrictions on asylum and increased funding for Border Patrol. As the fight over border security, funding, and asylum restrictions continues in Washington, the lives and well-being of migrants hang in the balance..