Mother of toddler who died after ICE detainment sues US for $60 million

The mother of the 1-year-old child who died after being released from a family detention center is filing a claim against the U.S. government. 

Attorneys for Yazmin Juarez filed a legal claim on Tuesday seeking $60 million from the government for the death of her daughter, Mariee, according to The Associated Press. 

The claim is against multiple agencies, the news agency reported.

{mosads}Lawyers for Juarez are arguing that Mariee developed a respiratory illness while she was being held at the South Texas Family Residential Center in Dilley, Texas, after being detained. 

They are accusing Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) of releasing Mariee despite treating her condition. 

Mariee died six weeks later in Philadelphia after being hospitalized for respiratory failure. 

The law firm Arnold & Porter told the AP that it will file a lawsuit against the government if it doesn’t settle its claim. R. Stanton Jones, a lawyer at the firm, told the AP that the government has six months to respond to its claim. 

“Having made the decision to jail small children, the U.S. government is responsible to provide living conditions that are safe, sanitary and appropriate,” Jones said to the news service. 

ICE and other agencies listed in the claim declined to comment to the AP about pending litigation.

“ICE takes very seriously the health, safety and welfare of those in our care,” spokeswoman Jennifer Elzea said in a statement.

The Hill has reached out to ICE for further comment. 

The AP notes that the detention facility in Texas has received repeated complaints about alleged substandard care. Advocates have argued that detaining families can lead to damaged mental health. 

ICE has pushed back against the criticism, saying that detainees have access to medical professionals. 

Juarez and her daughter arrived in the U.S. in March seeking asylum, according to CBS News. Juarez has previously alleged that her child received substandard medical care at the detention center where they were held.