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The Trump Administration Will Expand DNA Collection Of Migrants

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The Trump administration is moving forward with its plan to dramatically expand its DNA testing of illegal migrants at the southern border, a move intended to help control the immigration crisis.

Border Patrol agents will soon have the ability to collect DNA samples of migrants apprehended at the U.S.-Mexico border, according to an announcement by the Department of Homeland Security on Wednesday. While DHS had already implemented a pilot program that tested family relations, the new, broader program will be able to “identify” migrants.

The announcement confirms a Justice Department draft regulation first obtained by Buzzfeed News in August.

DNA testing is intended to prevent fraudulent claims by migrants who attempt to claim to be part of a family unit when they arrive at the southern border. Because of U.S. immigration laws, migrant families cannot be detained by authorities for longer than 20 days, resulting in their release before their asylum claims can be adjudicated. This practice, which is typically referred to as “catch and release,” has prompted many migrants to bring unrelated children and infants along with them on the dangerous journey to the border.

When DHS rolled out its pilot program, known as Operation Double Helix 1.0, authorities determined that 16 out of 84 families were “fraudulent,” meaning that they weren’t actually families, according to CNN. In Operation Double Helix 2.0, 79 out of 522 families were found to be fraudulent.

A team of Homeland Security Investigations agents was deployed to the border in April, for example, to help combat immigration fraud. The HSI teams uncovered 316 fraudulent families within two months, as well as 599 bogus documents and agents,  presented 629 different people to the Department of Justice for various criminal violations.

More details about the upcoming program, which is being implemented in conjunction with the Justice Department, are still left to be released. It’s not yet known which migrant groups, if any, would be exempted from DNA testing, or whether children will be excluded.

While the new DNA testing initiative could prevent immigration fraud at a much larger scale, it is likely to face a lawsuit by immigrant-rights and other progressive groups.

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