A leaked memo shows that the Biden administration will be ending a Trump-era policy designed to protect children from human traffickers at the southern border.
According to the leaked memo obtained by Just The News, the Biden administration has scheduled an end to the family DNA testing system used by border authorities to prevent smugglers from trafficking children across the U.S.-Mexico border.
In the memo, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officials were notified that the familial DNA contract with BODE Technologies will end on May 31, 2023 — and all other familial DNA testing will be ceased from that date forward. The memo also notes that the cancelling of BODE Technologies’ contract, which has been in place for over 25 years, will not impact or interrupt DNA collections for the FBI or other law enforcement agencies.
Just The News notes that the DNA testing program was implemented under former President Donald Trump “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.”
BODE Technologies was awarded a potential five-year-contract at $17.3 million by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in 2020 following a review that identified 11 locations on the U.S.-Mexico border where there was a high number of illegal aliens crossing.
ICE HIS Executive Associate Director Derek Benner has stated that there are two top goals of the Rapid DNA testing done at the southern border.
“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,” he said, according to Defense Daily. “Second, to identify and stop the criminal organizations that are generating false documents and supporting child smuggling.”
“It is clear on-site DNA testing has a strong deterrent effect, as HIS agents witnessed multiple instances of individuals confessing to faux families prior to being tested as well,” Benner added.
According to Just The News, CBP officials have found that a significant number of children coming across the southern border are actually being trafficked.
“In 2022, a government accountability office report found that as many as 1 in 10 of children tested turned out not to be related to the illegal aliens who were crossing with them,” the outlet wrote.
Despite the clear danger posed by these traffickers to the innocent children they are using, the Biden administration still plans to end the effective policy — which will make it even more difficult for border agents to identify and protect exploited children.
Critics on social media have blasted the Biden administration’s decision, with many arguing that they are essentially aiding human traffickers.
“The Biden Border crisis is already the worst in our history. Now they’re not even checking that people claiming to be families are actual families. This is every human trafficker’s dream come true,” wrote Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-AL).
The Biden Border crisis is already the worst in our history. Now they’re not even checking that people claiming to be families are actual families. This is every human trafficker’s dream come true. https://t.co/6tPX3xDDSH
— Coach Tommy Tuberville (@SenTuberville) May 22, 2023
“From everything we can see, all the stats we can use, he’s the head of the largest human/child trafficking seen in world history,” wrote another Twitter user.
🚨BREAKING: Biden to end familial DNA testing at border, key deterrent to fraud entry with children.~Just The News
From everything we can see, all the stats we can use, he’s the head of the largest human/child trafficking seen in world history.
— NEWSNANCY (@NineNewsNancy) May 22, 2023
This news comes soon after another Trump-era policy, Title 42, was lifted and roughly 83,000 illegal aliens crossed the border in a single week. With Title 42 gone, border officials will be releasing even more illegal aliens into the U.S. — as the policy previously allowed border agents to immediately expel illegals due to the threat of COVID.
Fox’s Bill Melugin: “A record-setting 83,000 migrants crossed our border illegally this week — equivalent to a full capacity Dallas Cowboys football stadium”
@BillFOXLA pic.twitter.com/9ReLXcAhtl— TV News Now (@TVNewsNow) May 13, 2023
