U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) has called on the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to use newly allocated resources to address the trafficking of migrant children at the U.S. southern border. In a letter sent to DHS Secretary Kristi Noem, Blackburn urged swift action to implement measures funded by the One Big Beautiful Bill, which includes provisions she led.
The bill grants U.S. Customs and Border Protection authority to fingerprint unaccompanied migrant children under 14 years old, aiming to prevent child trafficking and exploitation. According to Blackburn, these tools are essential for verifying familial relationships and protecting vulnerable minors from being used by adults seeking illegal entry into the United States.
“I write regarding the Trump administration’s admirable efforts to address the devastating humanitarian crisis at our southern border created by the Biden administration’s far-left policies. A key aspect of these efforts includes combatting the despicable practice of exploiting and trafficking migrant children. As part of the One Big Beautiful Bill, we have ensured a financial commitment to secure our border, deport criminal illegal aliens, and keep our communities safe. As an essential component of that commitment, this landmark legislation provides critical resources to prevent child trafficking and child recycling—specifically allocating funds for ‘collecting fingerprints’ and ‘collecting DNA’ in accordance with the Immigration and Nationality Act. Implementation of this critical provision will be a significant step forward in our fight to protect these innocent children—many of whom were trafficked into the United States during the Biden border crisis.”
Blackburn emphasized that DNA testing has proven effective in confirming familial ties between migrants and children they accompany, reducing instances where unrelated adults claim parentage for entry purposes.
“Under President Biden’s watch, the southern border descended into a humanitarian crisis and hundreds of thousands of innocent migrant children went missing. Migrants attempting to enter our country illegally often bring children with them under the guise of being that child’s parent—solely for the purpose of gaining entry into the United States. Familial DNA testing and fingerprinting have served as proven, effective tools that Customs and Border Protection (CBP) can utilize to combat child trafficking, identify dangerous criminals, verify familial relationships, and protect these innocent children from exploitation. In addition to working diligently to secure our border and keep our nation safe, President Trump has long been a champion of using every tool at our disposal—including DNA testing and fingerprinting—to protect migrant children and verify familial relationships.”
In her letter, Blackburn asked Secretary Noem to ensure all migrants seeking entry—including those under 14—are fingerprinted as part of enhanced screening procedures made possible by new funding.
“To that end, I urge you to utilize your discretion as Secretary of Homeland Security to ensure these migrant children are fully protected from harm and exploitation. The funds provided to you in the One Big Beautiful Bill have given you the ability to do just that, and I urge you to use those funds to: (1) continue to utilize DNA verification technology—including rapid DNA testing—to confirm familial relationships at the border; and (2) ensure that all migrants are fingerprinted upon seeking admission into the United States, including migrant children younger than 14 years of age. Both of these measures will go a long way towards protecting these innocent migrant children, many of whom have been trafficked and exploited for far too long.”
The issue follows recent reports about large numbers of missing or unaccounted-for migrant minors after crossing into U.S. territory.
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