DNA Testing For Migrant Families Along The Southern Border

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) ramps up DNA Testing For Migrant Families along the US-Mexico Border. An aerial view of a US Border Patrol vehicle (C-R) was positioned next to the US-Mexico border barrier on June 28, 2019 in Sunland Park, New Mexico. According to CNN News report, the agency has begun using DNA testing at seven locations in order to identify individuals who pose as families.

DNA Testing For Migrant Families 

The DNA testing implementation is part of a concerted effort by the Trump administration to crack down on illegal immigration, as the number of apprehensions at the border continue to outpace recent years. The main objective of the DNA testing is aimed at individuals posing as families amid the increase in families at the border. The administration has confirmed that people are using children to get into America, knowing they’ll be set free.

According to ICE report, out of the 102 family DNA tests that was administered last week, 85 were reportedly found to have a familial connection while seventeen came out negative, and 16 of those were referred for prosecution.

Migrants have no other choice than to consent to the test, which can provide results in about 90 minutes. The information collected in the DNA test is not stored in a database or publicly shared, ICE says.

The Department of Homeland Security(DHS) has repeatedly warned that children are being exploited by traffickers to bypass the nation’s immigration laws. Currently, the government can not hold migrant children for more than 20 days in detention, often leading to the release of families — or group of individuals who poses as families — until their immigration court hearing, a practice President Donald Trump has derided as “catch and release.”

The administration further argued that, the limit on how long migrant children can be held in detention has made some people to pose as families. According to the agency, 215,000 families apprehends at the southern border have been released by ICE into the US on 21 of December.

In a statement, Erichs said “The prospect of an interview or, more recently, a DNA test has led some migrants posing as families to concede that they are not related. In such cases, the adult has been referred by ICE for criminal prosecution and then turned over the minors to the care of the Health and Human Services Department.”

In as much as there was a dip in birder apprehension in June, the number if arrest still remained high. In June, nearly 95,000 migrants were apprehended at the southern border, including more than 57,000 families, according to CBP data.

CBP Data Report

 CNN News report state that the US immigration officials have taken into custody fewer migrants who were apprehended along the US-Mexico border in July than they did in June a steady decline since the May high, as reported by US Customs and Border Protection on Thursday. The data shows that, almost 72,000 were arrested in July along the southern border, down about 24% from 94,908 that was made in June. The dip in arrests is according to the 28% drop in apprehensions in June starting from May, the highest month in more than a decade.

In total apprehensions, there was 43% drop and encounters along the border from May – July, this is in line with the newly released data. Acting CBP Commissioner Mark Morgan said “While the situation is improving, we still remain in full-blown crisis. The numbers came two months after Mexico, in the wake of a tariff threat from President Donald Trump, signed a deal with the US, which included an agreement by Mexico to take a board step to increase enforcement and reduce irregular migration. Although, a dip in border crossings is very common during the hot summer months. Morgan denied the fact that the decrease was due to the seasonal trends.

The number of unaccompanied children in custody of the Border Patrol on the southern border went from a peak of 2,700 in mid-June to fewer than 160 this week.