The parents of a 6-year-old Indian girl who died of heat stroke near a remote and deserted US-Mexico border said they sought asylum in the US because they desperately "wanted a safer and better life for her", according to a media report.
Gurupreet Kaur, who was a month shy of turning 7, was found dead by the US Border Patrol officials 27 kilometres west of Lukeville, Arizona, after her mother left her with other Indian migrants she was travelling with to go in search of water.
"We wanted a safer and better life for our daughter and we made the extremely difficult decision to seek asylum here in the United States," CNN quoted a joint statement by the girl's mother and her father released through the US Sikh Coalition.
"We trust that every parent, regardless of origin, colour or creed, will understand that no mother or father ever puts their child in harm's way unless they are desperate," it said
The Sikh Coalition said a private funeral for Gurupreet will be held Friday in New York City, "the city her family had hoped to make their home."
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