Recent leaks suggest the Biden administration is set to put an end to a policy from the Trump era. This policy was designed to staunch the flow of fraudulent family claims amongst illegal immigrants at the southern US border. The termination of this policy, set to take effect at the end of May, could potentially open a floodgate for increased human trafficking.
The policy’s specifics were revealed in a leaked memo, which stated: “The U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) familial DNA contract with BODE Technologies will end on May 31, 2023, and all familial DNA testing will conclude on that date.”
Back in 2019, then Acting Homeland Security Secretary Kevin McAleenan highlighted the issue of fraudulent family claims to the Senate Judiciary Committee. According to preliminary findings from a pilot program, he claimed that 15% of alleged migrant families were engaging in fraud, using unrelated children as their own for immigration purposes.
McAleenan discussed the concerning prevalence of what he termed “child recycling rings.” He cited an instance where eight children were used to facilitate the immigration of 36 adults. Further, he drew attention to the case of a man who paid $80 to “rent” an infant to assist with his border crossing and secure his stay.
In a 2019 report, estimates suggested that the fraud rate might be closer to 30 percent. Further, more than 1,000 cases of fraud related to these false claims were reported in the fiscal year starting October 2018, according to the Associated Press.
When the Biden administration took office in 2021, DNA tests were still in use, but their application had dwindled significantly.
Monica Maple, a retired official who once headed the San Antonio office of ICE Homeland Security Investigations, discussed the effectiveness of DNA testing in an excerpt from the book, “Overrun” by Todd Bensman.
Maple reported that potential fraudsters would often reveal their deception upon learning they would undergo DNA testing, admitting that the children they claimed were theirs were actually relatives or unrelated.
She further explained the unsettling practice of smugglers facilitating deals where families would hand off a child to a stranger in exchange for waiving substantial smuggling fees.
Bensman quoted Maple’s reaction to the roll-back of DNA testing under the Biden administration: “Horror. Horror. Horror. Horror.”
This significant shift in policy raises many concerns, particularly in light of the potential increase in human trafficking. As the situation develops, it serves as a stark reminder of the complexities and challenges at the heart of immigration policy.
