The Maine Wire
  • News
  • Commentary
  • The Blog
  • About
  • Support the Maine Wire
  • Store
Facebook Twitter Instagram
Trending News
  • Collins Campaign Manager Steve Abbott Rallies Maine Republicans, Targets Platner at GOP Unity Breakfast
  • Ex-NJ Gov. Chris Christie Warns Democrats ‘Don’t Get Too Cocky Taking On Susan Collins’
  • Maine GOP Calls for Unity Following Primary as Candidates Rally Behind November Ticket
  • Gabbard Uses Final Day as National Intelligence Director to Release COVID Files, Accuse Fauci of Cover-Up
  • Two Fishermen Assaulted Officers Investigating Overboard Drowning of Shipmate
  • New Maine Plates Causing EZ Pass Violations For Number Changes, Thanks To Shenna Bellows
  • Costco Fights Consumer Lawsuit Accusing It Of Secretly Using Common Maine Preservative In Its Chickens
  • Monument Square Packed as Portland Hearts of Pine Host Massive World Cup Watch Party
Facebook Twitter Instagram
The Maine Wire
Sunday, June 21
  • News
  • Commentary
  • The Blog
  • About
  • Support the Maine Wire
  • Store
The Maine Wire
Home » News » News » Biden to End Familial DNA Testing at U.S.-Mexico Border
News

Biden to End Familial DNA Testing at U.S.-Mexico Border

Edward TomicBy Edward TomicMay 23, 2023Updated:May 23, 20231 Comment3 Mins Read2K Views
Facebook Twitter Email LinkedIn Reddit
Share
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email

The Biden Administration is planning to end familial DNA testing at the U.S.-Mexico border, a key tool used by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to prevent the fraudulent entry of migrants posing as family units and mitigate child trafficking, according to leaked memo obtained by Just The News.

DNA testing was a measure initially implemented in the Trump-era “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,” Just The News reported.

“[CBP’s] familial DNA contract with BODE Technologies will end on May 31, 2023, and all familial DNA testing will conclude on that date,” the leaked memo reads.

The memo also states that separate DNA testing programs done by the FBI through the Combined DNA Index System (CODIS) will continue uninterrupted.

CBP has conducted its DNA tests through a contract with Bode Technologies, which in 2020 was awarded a potential five-year, $17.3 million contract for Rapid DNA testing systems by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency (ICE).

This contract was an extension to an initial 10-month, $5.2 million contract awarded to Bode in 2019 after the success of the pilot Rapid DNA testing program and an influx of illegal aliens at 11 locations on the southwest border.

In 2019, ICE used DNA testing on 84 family units suspected of fraud over the span of 3 days, and identified 16 families as fraudulent.

Between April and June of 2019, ICE was able to identify approximately 275 fraudulent families.

ICE Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Executive Director Derek Benner outlined the two primary goals of the DNA testing initiative in a 2019 press release.

“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,” Benner said. “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 HSI agents witnessed multiple instances of individuals confessing to faux families prior to being tested as well,” Benner

Though single adults remains the largest proportion of individuals encountered at the southwest land border at 67 percent, the number of purported family units stopped at the border is increasing.

According to the CBP’s April 2023 Monthly Operation Update, Border Patrol agents encountered 58,964 family unit individuals in April, up 28 percent from March.

14 percent of those family unit individuals were expelled under Title 42, a COVID-era measure which expired on May 11.

Previous ArticleDeSantis 2024: Florida Gov to Enter Presidential Race Wednesday on Twitter with Elon Musk
Next Article Maine’s Taxpayer-Funded Community Colleges Are Recruiting “Noncitizens” for Free Scholarships
Edward Tomic

Edward Tomic is a reporter for The Maine Wire based in Southern Maine. He grew up near Boston, Massachusetts and is a graduate of Boston University. He can be reached at [email protected]

Latest News

Collins Campaign Manager Steve Abbott Rallies Maine Republicans, Targets Platner at GOP Unity Breakfast

June 21, 2026

Ex-NJ Gov. Chris Christie Warns Democrats ‘Don’t Get Too Cocky Taking On Susan Collins’

June 21, 2026

Maine GOP Calls for Unity Following Primary as Candidates Rally Behind November Ticket

June 21, 2026
0 0 votes
Article Rating
1 Comment
Oldest
Newest Most Voted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
Sheryl
Sheryl
3 years ago

Of course obiden is stopping the dna testing. Heaven forbid fraudulent adults be caught using children to get in our border

0
Recent News

Collins Campaign Manager Steve Abbott Rallies Maine Republicans, Targets Platner at GOP Unity Breakfast

June 21, 2026

Ex-NJ Gov. Chris Christie Warns Democrats ‘Don’t Get Too Cocky Taking On Susan Collins’

June 21, 2026

Maine GOP Calls for Unity Following Primary as Candidates Rally Behind November Ticket

June 21, 2026

Gabbard Uses Final Day as National Intelligence Director to Release COVID Files, Accuse Fauci of Cover-Up

June 21, 2026

Two Fishermen Assaulted Officers Investigating Overboard Drowning of Shipmate

June 20, 2026
Newsletter

News

  • News
  • Campaigns & Elections
  • Opinion & Commentary
  • Media Watch
  • Education
  • Media

Maine Wire

  • About the Maine Wire
  • Advertising
  • Contact Us
  • Submit Commentary
  • Complaints
  • Maine Policy Institute

Resources

  • Maine Legislature
  • Legislation Finder
  • Get the Newsletter
  • Maine Wire TV

Facebook Twitter Instagram Steam RSS
  • Post Office Box 7829, Portland, Maine 04112

Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.

wpDiscuz