Guards At A Family Detention Refused To Take Her Son To The Doctor. Then He Started Convulsing.

[Judi Lynn]

Testimonies from mothers and records obtained by HuffPost show how family detention endangers children’s health.
By Carolina Moreno and Anna Almendrala
07/26/2018 02:25 pm ET Updated 1 hour ago

Within two weeks of arriving at New Mexico’s Artesia Family Residential Center in July 2014, Laura’s 20-month-old son began to convulse.

Laura had told medical staff at the detention facility that Michael had a history of febrile seizures back in El Salvador. Those experiences taught her to swiftly treat any new fevers in order to prevent them.

But as her son’s first fever set in while in detention, the 24-year-old mother realized what she was up against: hours-long lines at the provisional medical center to get a single dose of Children’s Tylenol and guards who seemed unconcerned with her son’s well-being. She tried her best to get him the proper number of doses, but this first fever persisted.

Nine days into the fever, Michael once again woke up hot to the touch after two days of cold-like symptoms. Laura took her son to the medical center for help around 1 a.m., where she told doctors she was concerned he would seize. He was prescribed Children’s Tylenol, rest and lots of fluids.

More:
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/us-immigration-family-detention-health-perils_us_5b58b3a0e4b0de86f492ba56