A US citizen has died after being arrested by Border Patrol agents in South Texas.
US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) said the 35-year-old man, who has not been identified, was a suspect in a human smuggling incident.
The man was arrested on Tuesday afternoon by agents in Brackettville, about 30 miles east of the border with Mexico.
CBP said the man 'began exhibiting signs of distress' at about 6pm while he was being processed in Brackettville.
Agents trained as emergency medical technicians 'immediately administered first aid' and eventually called local emergency services, CBP said. The man was pronounced dead at 9:37pm after being taken to hospital.
The agency did not identify the man's illness, symptoms or cause of death, which was first reported by BuzzFeed News.
The Border Patrol does not ordinarily detain US citizens, but it routinely arrests Americans accused of trying to smuggle immigrants who have crossed the border illegally. Those arrested can be charged with a felony in federal court.
Twenty-four immigrants died in US Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody between May last year and the beginning of the Trump administration, according to an NBC News analysis of federal data. At least four others died after being released from ICE custody.
The agency did not immediately provide the circumstances of the man's arrest or the allegations against him.
This article has been adapted from its original source.
