WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Jim Risch (R-Idaho) and Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) joined Senator Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and 31 Senate and U.S. House of Representatives colleagues in demanding President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris collect DNA samples from every immigrant the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) encounters, per the DNA Fingerprint Act of 2005.
“Following the law, protecting whistleblowers and ensuring the safety of American citizens like Rachel Morin shouldn’t be controversial,” wrote the lawmakers to President Biden and Vice President Harris. “The Biden-Harris administration’s DHS must follow the law—the consequences are stark when they don’t.”
The DNA Fingerprint Act of 2005 requires federal law enforcement to collect DNA from every individual U.S. Customs and Border Protections (CBP) arrests, charges, convicts or detains.
Legally-protected whistleblowers have exposed how DHS’s failure to collect DNA hampers law enforcement efforts to stop violent crime. Notably, DHS missed three separate opportunities to gather DNA from the illegal immigrant who murdered Rachel Morin, a Maryland mother of five.
“It is beyond heartbreaking to know that my daughter’s brutal death could have been prevented. This isn’t just a bureaucratic oversight; it’s a deadly failure that turned a protective measure into a hollow promise,” said Patty Morin, mother of Rachel Morin. “President Biden and Vice President Harris’ reckless disregard for border security puts every American family in imminent danger. How many more precious lives have to be lost before they decide to protect the people they were elected to serve?”
Joining Risch, Crapo, and Grassley on the letter are Senators Ron Johnson (R-Wisconsin), Rick Scott (R-Florida), John Thune (R-South Dakota), Marco Rubio (R-Florida), Tim Scott (R-South Carolina), Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Steve Daines (R-Montana), Mike Braun (R-Indiana), Josh Hawley (R-Missouri), Roger Marshall (R-Kansas), Eric Schmitt (R-Missouri) and Pete Ricketts (R-Nebraska).
Read the full letter HERE.
