A half-dozen members of Congress are demanding answers from the Biden Homeland Security Department about why it is ending genetic testing at the border that has been key to detecting fraudulent immigration and child sex trafficking.
The letter Thursday night led by House Oversight subcommittee chairman Glen Grothman, R-Wis.,was prompted by the publication this week of an internal Customers Border Protection memo by Just the News that revealed it was ending DNA familial testing at the =end of May. 'Since 2019, Department of Homeland Security officials have performed familial DNA testing on some family units to ensure the safety and security of minors and prevent them from being exploited by adults," the lawmakers wrote acting CBP Commissioner Troy Miller.
"This testing has led DHS to detect numerous attempts of familial fraud at the southern border.
"Given the numerous identified cases and reports of exploitation of children in fraudulent family units, it is alarming that CBP will cease DNA testing for family units, which is an important tool to identify and prevent human trafficking and exploitation," the lawmakers added.
"The border is not under control of the Border Patrol," he said.
The letter demands documents and answers to questions, including why the DNA testing contract was ended as of May 31, what officials made the decision, what if any other contingencies were considered to protect children and how many many times in the last three years did DNA tests detect fraudulent migrants.
The DNA testing was originally implemented in the Trump-era and utilized by Customs Border Protection - following a court order related to the separation of migrant children from their families and evidence drug cartels were using children to create fake family units to sneak illegal immigrants across the border.
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