A Honduran teen died in a Pinellas County shelter. Why? Editorial
Federal government, Pinellas shelter need to provide some answers.
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Ángel Eduardo Maradiaga Espinoza, 17, of Honduras died May 10 at the Gulf Coast Jewish Family and Children Services shelter for migrant children in Safety Harbor. [ Riccy Hernandez ]
This article represents the opinion of the Tampa Bay Times Editorial Board.
Published May 17
The death of a Honduran teenager in the care of a Pinellas County shelter is a tragedy that the immigration system must account for, that authorities need to learn from and that politicians shouldn’t shamelessly exploit for partisan political gain. The only one involved who seems to grasp that responsibility is Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri, whose response has been a model for handling such a serious matter.
Ángel Eduardo Maradiaga Espinoza died May 10, five days after the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ resettlement office placed him at a Safety Harbor shelter run by Gulf Coast Jewish Family and Children Services. Federal officials and the agency have said little, except that Espinoza was pronounced dead after being found unconscious in bed.
But days before the 17-year-old died, the Times reported this week, staff of the shelter for unaccompanied migrant children received an email from a cousin stating that Espinoza had epilepsy. While a case manager uploaded the teen’s medical history into the online system, she did not read the information, leaving staff unaware of his condition, Gualtieri said. The sheriff added that Espinoza did not tell shelter staff about his epilepsy and did not have medication on him when he arrived May 5.
Although the autopsy is not completed, Gualtieri told the Times on Monday that his investigation indicates Espinoza died after suffering an epileptic seizure in his sleep. And while he said the shelter’s failure to review Espinoza’s records poses an issue for federal authorities, the sheriff underscored that the death was “definitely not” a criminal issue, and that his office had no issues with the shelter. “Transparency is very important,” he said. “People need to know what the facts are and what they are not.”
More:
https://www.tampabay.com/opinion/2023/05/17/honduran-teen-died-pinellas-county-shelter-why-editorial/
