Newborn dies at Arizona hospital after mother transported for care

Lukeville, Ariz. - On February 25, 2024, at approximately 2:14 p.m., Border Patrol agents assigned to the Ajo Station encountered a group of 12 migrants approximately 12 miles west of the Lukeville Port of Entry in Lukeville, Ariz. As part of this group, Border Patrol agents apprehended a pregnant woman later determined to be a citizen of Angola. Agents noticed that the woman did not appear to speak English and was communicating in what they believed was French. At approximately 2:24 p.m., an agent transported the woman to the Ajo Station, where they arrived at approximately 2:55 p.m.

At approximately 3:15 p.m., as a part of the booking process, an on-site CBP-contracted nurse practitioner evaluated the pregnant woman. The nurse practitioner noted that the woman complained of abdominal pain/cramping and back pain. The nurse practitioner reported that the woman believed she was approximately eight months pregnant, denied taking any medications, and had two previous miscarriages. The woman reported it had been more than three months since her last prenatal visit with an obstetrician. The nurse practitioner requested the woman be transported via ambulance to a hospital for further evaluation and care.

At approximately 3:33 p.m., Ajo Ambulance Services Emergency Medical Services arrived at the Ajo Station. At approximately 3:50 p.m., EMS transported her to Abrazo Hospital West Campus in Goodyear, Ariz., located approximately 105 miles away, arriving there at approximately 5:34 p.m. A Federal Protective Services Inspector was assigned to hospital watch and followed the ambulance in a government vehicle.

On February 26, 2024, at approximately 1:45 a.m., the FPS inspector contacted Ajo Station and reported that the woman underwent an emergency cesarean section due to the doctor detecting a defect in the fetus' heartbeat. Upon completion of the procedure, the newborn's heartbeat was low and decreasing. Medical staff were unable to normalize the heartbeat and unsuccessfully attempted to resuscitate the newborn for approximately one hour. At approximately 2:45 a.m., medical staff declared the newborn deceased.

On February 27, 2024, the Maricopa County Medical Examiner's Office performed an autopsy of the newborn. The autopsy results are currently pending.

CBP OPR is reviewing this incident. The DHS Office of Inspector General was notified.

This notification is being issued to the public pursuant to the CBP policy regarding Notification and Review Procedures for Certain Deaths and Deaths in Custody and the Department of Homeland Security FY 2021 Appropriation (H. Rept. 116-458) reporting requirements related to CBP-involved deaths.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is America's frontline: the nation's largest law enforcement organization and the world's first unified border management agency. The 65,000+ men and women of CBP protect America on the ground, in the air, and on the seas. We facilitate safe, lawful travel and trade and ensure our country's economic prosperity. We enhance the nation's security through innovation, intelligence, collaboration, and trust.