The state of Illinois will be handling the funeral and burial of a child migrant who died on a bus from Texas to Chicago.
The state-affiliated Illinois Welcoming Center will pay for the burial costs of Jismary Alejandra Barboza González, whose funeral service is taking place at a church in Warsaw, Indiana, on Thursday.
“Given the sensitivity of this tragic event, and the way migrancy has been unfortunately politicized, [the department] does not believe it is appropriate to share certain details, such as the exact center that has supported the family,” Illinois Department of Human Services spokeswoman Rachel Otwell told Politico.
TEXAS LAWMAKERS DISPUTE WHETHER STATE IS LIABLE FOR CHILD’S DEATH ON MIGRANT BUS
Migrants wave as a bus leaves to take them to a refugee center outside Union Station in Chicago. (Anthony Vazquez/Chicago Sun-Times via AP)
The deceased 3-year-old girl was riding the bus when she became ill and suffered a cardiac arrest. She was later pronounced dead at an Illinois hospital Thursday night.
An autopsy conducted by County Coroner Troy Cannon did not find a conclusive cause of González’s death. Tissue samples are currently being tested for abnormalities.
The Texas Department of Emergency Management oversees the bus trips to relocate migrants to sanctuary cities, which Republican Gov. Greg Abbott has previously said will continue until the federal government fixes the immigration crisis at the U.S.-Mexico border.
THREE-YEAR-OLD CHILD ON MIGRANT BUS DIES EN ROUTE FROM TEXAS TO CHICAGO
The gymnasium at the Broadway Armory in Chicago, one of several locations being considered for use as an emergency shelter for migrants. (Antonio Perez/Chicago Tribune/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)
The department said in a statement that everyone boarding the bus had their temperature checked and was asked if they required medical attention.
“At some point, they find out after the fact, that the child had been sick, and the family was giving the child some kind of Pedialyte and maybe administering some kind of medications,” Texas state Sen. Roland Gutierrez said.
Migrants await processing by the U.S. Border Patrol after crossing from Mexico in Brownsville, Texas. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
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Gutierrez said it is unknown if the people on the bus were aware that the girl was sick.
