HOUSTON, Aug. 1 (Xinhua) -- "Reports that a child died in ICE custody at Dilley are false," the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) tweeted Wednesday.
Meanwhile, ICE spokeswoman Nina Pruneda said the agency is "looking into the report of the death after custody, but without any specifics about who this was, we are unable to provide anything further at this time."
According to reports, a child who had been held at an immigrant detention facility in Dilley died following a release from detention. It was initially reported by a Houston immigration attorney Tuesday night on Twitter and then went viral on social media.
Dilley is the largest of ICE's three family detention centers, with a capacity of about 2,400 people. It is located about 430 km southwest of Houston in the U.S. state of Texas.
Under the "Zero-Tolerance Policy for Criminal Illegal Entry" announced by Attorney-General Jeff Sessions on April 6, U.S. Homeland Security officials are now referring all cases of illegal entry for criminal prosecution.
U.S. protocol prohibits detaining the children because they have not been charged with a crime like their parents.
One month ago, a federal judge in San Diego, California issued a preliminary injunction ordering the U.S. border authority to stop separating migrant parents and children who have crossed over from Mexico and to work to reunite the separated families within 30 days.
