Surge Of Bangladeshi Migrants With Bogus Passports Causing US To Rely On Dental Exams

Surge Of Bangladeshi Migrants With Bogus Passports Causing US To Rely On Dental Exams
A Border Patrol agent apprehends illegal aliens who have just crossed the Rio Grande from Mexico into Penitas, Tex., on March 21, 2019. (Charlotte Cuthbertson/The Epoch Times)
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An influx of Bangladeshi and other illegal migrants carrying fake identification is forcing U.S. officials to rely on dental examinations to determine their ages.

Border Patrol apprehension of Bangladeshi migrants hit 1,203 in fiscal year 2018, a rise of 109% from the previous year, according to data compiled by the Los Angeles Times. Between fiscal year 2017 and 2018, the number of Bangladeshi minors in the custody of Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) climbed 221%.

As the number of Bangladeshi migrants reaching the U.S. border has increased, so has the number of documented fraud cases.

Over 150 Bangladeshis identifying as minors and determined to be adults were transferred into Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody between October and March 8. A number of Bangladeshis in ICE custody and claiming to be minors were found to have passports and birth certificates with contradictory information, including their birth dates.

NTD Photo
Central American migrants, moving in a caravan through Juchitan, Oaxaca are pictured atop a train known as “The Beast” while continuing their journey toward the United States, in Mexico on April 26, 2019. (Jose Cortes/Reuters)

Immigration fraud is becoming more pervasive at the U.S.-Mexico border, largely fueled by immigrants’ knowledge that preferential treatment is given to minors and family units. During a six-month time period, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) determined around 2,700 migrants to be lying about their familial status. Other documented cases of child smuggling rings and migrant adults “renting” children has shocked U.S. law enforcement.

Migrants from Central America and Cuba walk on a highway
Migrants from Central America and Cuba walk on a highway during their journey towards the United States, in Tuzantan, in Chiapas state, Mexico, on March 25, 2019. (Jose Torres/Reuters)

While DNA testing and other programs have helped in determining the legitimacy of family unit claims, age determination has proven much harder.

Approvals of age determination exams, which includes dental exams, by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) more than doubled between fiscal year 2017 and 2018, the LA Times reported.

While the House Appropriations Committee called on DHS to stop depending on forensic testing of teeth and bones because of their unreliability, a new law in 2008 paved the way for age determinations to involve numerous forms of evidence, including radiographs.

members of a migrant caravan
Members of a new migrant caravan are seen on a highway in Tuzantan, Chiapas state, Mexico, on March 25, 2019. (Jose Torres/Reuters)

Under the standard set out by the U.S. government, if a dental exam analysis determines an individual to have at least a 75% probability of being 18 or older, they are transferred to adult custody. While federal law forbids officials from relying exclusively on bone and teeth exams, a review of court documents by The LA Times found that, in at least three cases, immigration officials relied exclusively on radiographs to determine migrants’ ages.

Border Patrol in El Paso, Texas.
U.S. Border Patrol agents, including members of U.S. Border Patrol’s BORSTAR teams (in tactical uniforms) provide food, water and medical screening to scores of migrants at a processing center after crossing the international border between the United States and Mexico in El Paso, Texas on March 22, 2019. (Mani Albrecht/U.S. Customs and Border Protection via Getty Images)

By Jason Hopkins

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From The Daily Caller News Foundation

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