An Immigration and Customs Enforcement pilot of new rapid DNA testing at the border has recently found out that nearly a third of those tested weren't biologically related to the kids in their custody.
ICE conducted the pilot for some days earlier this month in El Paso and McAllen, Texas, finding approximately 30% of those tested weren't related to the children they claimed were their own, an official told the Washington Examiner.
The official said that these weren't cases of step-fathers or adoptive parents.
It's unclear whether every family unit was tested during the pilot or only those that raised some red flag. An ICE spokesman didn't immediately respond to request for comment.
The official said that some migrants refused the test and admitted that they weren't related to the kids they were with, when they learned that their claim would be subjected to DNA proof.
ICE said that the Department of Homeland Security would look at the results of the pilot to determine whether to roll out rapid DNA tests more broadly.
After President Donald Trump's administration backpedaled on 'family separation' in the face of enormous backlash in summer 2018, the number of family units arriving at the southern border has skyrocketed.
Current law and policy in the USA means that Central Americans who cross the border illegally with kids can claim asylum and avoid any lengthy detention in most cases.
US Border Patrol says that it's apprehended 535,000 for crossing the border illegally so far this year, with 'no sign of it getting better.'
Because of heavy strain on the processing system, 40,000 of those have been released into communities, the agency said.
The Trump administration told lawmakers that it would probably cost more to care for migrants crossing into the USA from Mexico than the $2.9 billion in emergency money requested in May 2019.
In a White House letter, acting budget chief Russell Vought said 'the situation has continued to deteriorate and is exceeding previous high-end estimates.'
Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar said in a separate letter that needs for the unaccompanied kids account 'could grow further and be closer to the worst-case scenario HHS had suggested to be the basis for the supplemental request, that was $1.4 billion higher.'
Reference: Daily Mail
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