(Molly Bruns, Headline USA) The Biden administration ended the mandated family DNA testing system for migrants entering the United States via the southern border, a measure originally put in place to prevent smugglers from trafficking children into the country.
According to the Daily Wire, the contract between U.S. Customs and Border Protection and BODE Technologies—a DNA testing service with a decades-long government contract—ends on May 31, along with all familial DNA testing.
The Trump administration implemented the testing program after officers found evidence that drug cartels used children to create false families and sneak large numbers of kids over the border at the same time, Just the News reported.
BODE Technology had a potential five-year contract starting in 2020 after the government identified 11 locations on the southern border where an influx of illegal immigrants became an issue.
Derek Benner, executive associate director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations, said the implementation of rapid DNA testing served two purposes.
“First, to protect children from being smuggled across the border by ensuring they are with their parents and not being used as pawns by individuals attempting to exploit immigration loopholes,” Benner said. “Second, to identify and stop the criminal organizations that are generating false documents and supporting child smuggling.”
With the help of rapid DNA testing, border patrol agents discovered that nearly 30% of immigrant adults attempted to cross the border with children that were not their own.
“There’s been some concern about, ‘Are they stepfathers or adopted fathers?’” an anonymous official said. “Those were not the case. In these cases, they are misrepresented as family members.”
This change comes as the border descends into chaos following the May 11 expiration of Title 42, a pandemic-era policy that allowed border patrol officers to send immigrants back to Mexico immediately.
The Biden administration gave very little support or information to border officers leading up to the expiration, only saying that they should “brace for f***ing impact.”
