Three-year-old girl dies on migrant bus in U.S.

A 3-year-old child, riding one of Texas' migrant buses, has been confirmed dead while en route to Chicago.

The girl died at a local Illinois hospital after exhibiting signs of illness, according to the Texas Department of Emergency Management's statement on Friday. This marks the first reported death since the state began transporting thousands of migrants from the U.S.-Mexico border last year.

Texas authorities did not disclose the child's origin or the cause of her illness.

"Every loss of life is a tragedy," said the Texas Division of Emergency Management in a statement. "Once the child presented with health concerns, the bus pulled over and security personnel on board called 9-1-1 for emergency attention."

Since last year, Texas has transported over 30,000 migrants to Democratic-controlled cities across the U.S., including New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, and Philadelphia, as part of Republican Governor Greg Abbott's border initiative, Operation Lone Star.

Recent months have seen increased scrutiny of the operation due to additional stringent measures authorized by the governor to deter migrant crossings from Mexico.

The Biden administration is suing Texas over the installation of large buoys on the Rio Grande this summer, citing environmental and humanitarian concerns regarding the water barrier. Additionally, Texas has begun separating some migrant families at the border, marking a shift by state police who had previously advocated for family unity.

Abbott spokesperson Renae Eze referred questions Friday night about the child's death to the state's emergency management agency, which has operated the bus program since it launched in 2022.

The child received treatment from paramedics and later died at a hospital, according to the agency. The bus departed from the Texas border city of Brownsville. All passengers had their temperature taken and were asked if they had any medical conditions, according to Texas' emergency management agency.

U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar, a Democrat whose district includes the Texas border, on Friday night, criticized Abbott, saying the governor should be working more with the federal government on border security.

"You can't use the migrants as political pawns. You still got to be accountable to taking care of them, especially if you're transporting kids," Cullear said. 

On Thursday, Abbott freshly touted the bus program on X, formerly known as Twitter, posting, "We will continue busing migrants to sanctuary cities until Biden does his job & secures the border."

(With input from AP)