Woman, 18, in US illegally claims she had 'no choice' but to abandon newborn in hot dumpster

A teenage woman who allegedly threw her newborn in a dumpster claims she had "no choice". Everilda Cux Atjalam is accused of discarding her baby in Houston, Texas at around 1:15pm on Friday, July 26.

The 18-year-old, who has now been confirmed as an illegal immigrant , allegedly gave birth in a car park before putting the baby in a rubbish bag, tying it, and leaving it in a dumpster. The act was captured on CCTV.

The alarm was soon raised by residents who reported hearing cries from the dumpster . Ajtalam told arriving cops that she had given birth earlier that day outside the food truck where she works, reports KPRC.

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The young woman then confessed to cops that she put the "child, placenta, and umbilical cord into a trash bag, took the trash bag to a dumpster, and left the child in the dumpster tied inside the trash bag".

Ajtalam feared her boyfriend would break up with her and she had "no other choice". The child, who is understood to be in good health, was rushed to Texas Children's Hospital and is now in the care of Child Protective Services.

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ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations confirmed Atjalam is a Guatemalan national who entered the US illegally as an unaccompanied minor following her arrest for allegedly abandoning a child without intent to return.

During her initial court appearance on Friday , Ajtalam was scolded by Harris County District Court Judge Veronica M. Nelson for leaving her son in the trash, according to the Houston Chronicle.

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"It was pure luck that the child was found and received care ," Nelson said. "Given the fact that it's the middle of summer in Houston, Texas, and the temperature at the time noting the danger to the child."

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Nelson set Atjalam's bail bond at $200,000. The woman is currently detained at the Harris County Jail, where she is being held on an immigration hold .

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