Blames Democrats for child deaths in Border Patrol custody

In his first public comments on the deaths of 7-year-old Jakelin Caal Maquin and 8-year-old Felipe Gomez Alonzo in Border Patrol custody, Trump tweeted: 'Any deaths of children or others at the Border are strictly the fault of the Democrats and their pathetic immigration policies that allow people to make the long trek thinking they can enter our country illegally.' Both children had passed initial health screenings, contradicting Trump's subsequent claims they were 'very sick' when they arrived. Jakelin died on December 8 and Felipe died on Christmas Eve; Trump's tweets came during the government shutdown he initiated over border wall funding.

"Any deaths of children or others at the Border are strictly the fault of the Democrats" — Tweet, December 29, 2018