A three-year-old child died while riding on a migrant bus from Texas to Chicago, authorities announced Friday.
Officials did not release information pertaining to the cause of death or identity of the child.
"Every loss of life is a tragedy," the Texas Division of Emergency Management said in a statement.
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"Once the child presented with health concerns, the bus pulled over and security personnel on board called 9-1-1 for emergency attention."
The Illinois Department of Public Health stated that the toddler died Thursday while in Marion County.
It's the first death Texas has announced since the beginning of the bus program that has relocated large groups of migrants to northern, left-leaning cities and counties.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott began the program last year in an effort to lessen the effects of illegal immigration into the state and raise awareness of the issue nationwide.
On Thursday, New York City Mayor Eric Adams renewed calls for increased action from the federal government after warning that the sanctuary city’s ongoing migrant crisis threatens to "decimate" it.
New York City has repeatedly declared itself full and overwhelmed by the number of migrants who have entered, both on their own and with assistance from Texas, where Abbott has been offering migrants buses to get to cities like the Big Apple, as well as Washington, D.C., Chicago and Philadelphia.
Adams said the influx of migrants is projected to cost over $12 billion by 2025, reporting that nearly 100,000 asylum seekers have arrived in the city in the last year alone. New York City, Adams said, is "past our breaking point," pleading for additional help from the state and federal government.
His comments come days after Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey declared a state of emergency over a surge of migrants that she says has left social services overwhelmed, while demanding more funding and help from the federal government.
