Decomposed Body Found In Hildalgo County Identified As 11-year-old Undocumented Boy From Guatemala

The Hidalgo County Sheriff's Office confirmed that the decomposed body of an 11-year-old boy was found in a desert area on June 15.

By H. Nelson Goodson

June 30, 2014

La Joya, Texas - On Monday, the Hidalgo County Sheriff's Office (HCSO) released the identity of an 11-year-old boy as Gilberto Francisco Ramos Juárez whose decomposed body was found in a desert area at Patricio Pérez and Nopal Streets near the city of La Joya and about half a mile from a ranch. Juárez is originally from Huehuetenango, Chiantla, Guatemala, according to his brother from Chicago.

Juárez decomposed body had a white rosary, a brown buckled belt, jeans and a pair of black boots. His borther's phone number was found inscribed behind the belt buckle. The phone number led authorities to contact his brother in Chicago, who confirmed that about 25-days ago, Juárez, his uncle and other undocumented immigrants crossed into the U.S. from Reynosa, Tamaulipas, Mexico with an undocumented human smuggler (Coyote). Juárez became separated from the group and wondered into a desert area near La Joya.

The uncle got detained by U.S. Border Patrol and it hasn't been confirmed, if Juárez uncle alerted authorities that Juárez was missing.

Authorities also contacted Juárez father, who also confirmed that his son was travelling with his uncle and described Juárez belongings.

The HCSO says, an autopsy indicates that Juárez didn't show any signs of trauma, but might have died from a heat stroke. The toxicology results for Juárez has yet to be released.

President Barack H. Obama announced on Monday, that he will take executive action as allowed under the law to fix the broken down immigration system by the end of Summer. He also urged the U.S. Congress to pass a bill to make it faster to deport unaccompanied illegal alien children and adults. More than 80,000 of unaccompanied children are expected to be detained along the U.S. and Mexico border.

More than 170,000 of undocumented immigrants from South and Central America travel through Mexico on their way to the U.S. border. A recent surge of migration to the U.S. border by unaccompanied children has forced Obama to take action.

By the end of Summer, the Obama administration would have deported more than 66,000 of undocumented immigrants.

Last week, U.S. Representative Darell Issa (R-CA) called on President Obama to deport DREAMers and upscale the deportation process more quickly. Issa blamed the president's Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) for the new wave of unaccompanied children crossing into the U.S. But, DACA only applies to undocumented children brought to the U.S. by their parents before June 15, 2007. Issa's belief has been gaining support in the House of Representatives.