Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez wore a pin with a picture of the 7-year-old Guatemalan girl who died in US custody to the State of the Union
- Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a New York Democrat, wore a pin with a picture of Jakelin Caal Maquin, the 7-year-old Guatemalan migrant girl who died in US custody, to the State of the Union address on Tuesday.
- Jakelin died on December 8, shortly after she and her father were apprehended while illegally crossing the US-Mexico border into a remote area of the desert in New Mexico.
- Ocasio-Cortez, who represents a district in the Bronx and Queens that is nearly 50% immigrant, is outspoken on immigration issues and campaigned on eliminating the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez wore a pin with a picture of Jakelin Caal Maquin, the 7-year-old Guatemalan migrant girl who recently died in US Customs and Border Protection custody, to President Donald Trump's State of the Union on Tuesday.
Jakelin died on December 8, shortly after she and her father were apprehended while illegally crossing the US-Mexico border into a remote area of the desert in New Mexico. They were among a group of 163 migrants arrested by Border Patrol agents on December 6.
Jakelin was not given medical care until roughly 90 minutes after she began vomiting, following a bus ride to the nearest patrol station. She died about 27 hours after arriving in the US - soon after succumbing to seizures, a high temperature, and brain swelling, according to the Customs and Border Protection.
Jakelin's death sparked widespread outrage over the treatment of immigrants in US custody under the Trump administration, which has cracked down on migrants traveling across the Southern border.
Ocasio-Cortez, who represents a New York City district that is nearly 50% immigrant, is outspoken on immigration issues and campaigned on eliminating the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Agency.
The New York Democrat wore all white to the presidential address along with scores of her fellow Democratic women lawmakers and at least one Republican colleague. She wore another pin reading: "Well behaved women seldom make history."
Ocasio-Cortez's guest to the State of the Union, co-executive director of the Center for Popular Democracy Action Ana Maria Archila, wore the same two pins.
Michelle Mark contributed to this report.