Lawyers for the father of a Guatemalan girl who died in Border Patrol custody said Saturday that the family is asking the U.S. government for a neutral and transparent investigation into the girl’s death.
Jakelin Caal Maquin died a week ago at a hospital in El Paso, Texas, a little more than a day after she and her father were arrested with a group of about 160 other people the night of Dec. 6 in Antelope Wells, N.M., a remote border crossing in southern New Mexico.
The port was closed at the time, and the group crossed the border illegally and then turned themselves in to authorities, a Border Patrol official said.
A Border Patrol official said Jakelin and her father, Nery Gilberto Caal Cuz, were bussed from a remote border outpost to a station in Lordsburg, N.M., hours after their arrest. She became ill during the ride and wasn’t breathing by the time the bus arrived, about 90 minutes after leaving the border.
Jakelin was flown to the hospital and died about a day later. She had suffered from septic shock and dehydration, Customs and Border Protection said Thursday.
Mr. Caal and his lawyers said in their statement that neither the hospital nor the medical examiner has released a cause of death and that any details about what led to her death are premature.
A Customs and Border Protection spokesman said an autopsy is pending.
Customs and Border Protection reported earlier this week that Jakelin hadn’t had any food or water for days before crossing the border. Mr. Caal said in the statement through his lawyers that wasn’t true.
Mr. Caal, via his statement, also thanked emergency responders, including Border Patrol agents, who tried to save his daughter.
Ruben Garcia, executive director of the El Paso aid group and migrant shelter operator Annunciation House, read the statement to reporters Saturday. Mr. Garcia said Mr. Caal was staying at one of the group’s shelters and wouldn’t be speaking publicly.
The Border Patrol official said Mr. Caal reported that the girl was in good health during a brief medical screening and questioning after their arrest. He signed a document attesting to her health, though the document was in English. The official said the interview was done in Spanish and the father understood.
A U.S. government official familiar with the investigation into the child’s death said Mr. Caal reported to American authorities that Jakelin vomited about two hours after the pair started their trip to the U.S. He gave her medicine and she appeared fine after that. Mr. Caal also told American authorities that after they surrendered to Border Patrol agents, his daughter was happy and seemed in good spirits. Mr. Caal reported that the pair had been traveling for about four days, the official said.
Mr. Caal also reported to authorities that once he told them Jakelin was ill, the bus appeared to pick up speed as it headed toward the Lordsburg station, the official said.
Mr. Caal and his daughter are from a remote area in Guatemala, and their primary language is an indigenous dialect. Both spoke Spanish as a second language, according to the statement read by Mr. Garcia. In the statement, Mr. Caal and his lawyers said the government shouldn’t be relying on English-language documents for non-English speakers.
Lawmakers and immigration advocates have called for a swift investigation into Jakelin’s death. The Homeland Security Department’s Office of Inspector General said Friday it was investigating and would make its findings public. Customs and Border Protection previously said the agency’s Office of Professional Responsibility was also investigating.
Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Kevin McAleenan said the girl’s death was a tragedy and defended the agents’ actions Friday. “The agents involved are deeply affected and empathize with the father over the loss of his daughter,” he said.
In a letter to lawmakers sent Friday, Mr. McAleenan said he didn’t discuss Jakelin’s death during his testimony before a Senate committee three days after the incident in part because he didn’t want to politicize the incident while asking lawmakers to change laws governing how migrant families are treated at the border.
Jakelin’s body is set to be returned to her hometown of Raxruha in Guatemala. A private prayer service with her father was held at an El Paso funeral home Friday. Mr. Garcia said Jakelin’s mother and three siblings remained in Guatemala.
Write to Alicia A. Caldwell at Alicia.Caldwell@wsj.com