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Transgender asylum seeker from El Salvador dies, after being released from U.S. custody

A child, resident of Ciudad Juarez, looks through the bars of a wall from the side of Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, in this picture taken on the side of El Paso, Texas, U.S. May 25, 2019. REUTERS / Jose Luis Gonzalez

A transgender asylum seeker has died just days after being released from U.S. immigration detention.

Authorities say 25-year-old Johana Medina Leon of El Salvador died Saturday at an El Paso hospital.

WATCH: May 31 — Asylum seekers say they can’t work because U.S. officials confiscated their identification

Click to play video: 'Asylum seekers say they can’t work because U.S. officials confiscated their identification'
Asylum seekers say they can’t work because U.S. officials confiscated their identification

The cause of death isn’t known.

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Medina Leon sought asylum at a border crossing on April 11 and was detained in an Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility.

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An asylum officer determined she had a credible fear of returning to her country, which is one of the first steps in the process.

READ MORE: U.S. asylum seekers’ indefinite detention has been expanded by the attorney general

ICE says Medina Leon was taken to the hospital last Tuesday for chest pain. The agency released her from custody that day.

Advocates say the death is another example of poor care and treatment that transgender detainees get in custody.

ICE says it provides comprehensive medical care to all detainees.

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