A 17-year-old migrant who arrived unaccompanied in the U.S. from Honduras has died in government custody on Wednesday.

The teenager was identified as Ángel Eduardo Maradiaga Espinoza, according to a tweet from Honduran foreign minister Enrique Reina. Maradiaga was detained at a facility in Safety Harbor, Florida.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) confirmed his death without providing the cause of death.

His mother, Norma Saraí Espinoza Maradiaga, said her son "wanted to live the American Dream" during a phone interview with The Associated Press.

She demanded answers from U.S. officials on Friday, saying her son had no known illnesses and had not shown any signs of being sick before his death. 

The shelter where the death occurred is managed by the HHS Office of Refugee Resettlement, which is in charge of housing and caring for unaccompanied migrant children.

Reina said his government was in contact with the teenager's family and called for "an exhaustive investigation" into the circumstances of his death.

The U.S.-Mexico border witnessed a significant policy shift Friday, as President Joe Biden's administration phased out a COVID-era policy that expedited the expulsion of migrants, known as Title 42. Concurrently, new asylum restrictions were introduced, leading to a wave of confusion and uncertainty.

Tens of thousands of people tried to cross the U.S.-Mexico border in the weeks before the expiration of Title 42, under which U.S. officials expelled many people but allowed exemptions for others, including minors crossing the border unaccompanied by a parent.

This was the first known death of an immigrant child in custody during the Biden administration. At least six immigrant children died in U.S. custody during the administration of former President Donald Trump. 

(Cover: Members of the Operation Lone Star Task Force West and Texas Tactical Border Force block migrants from illegally entering Texas, El Paso, Texas, U.S., May 11, 2023. /CFP)