Congressmen Gonzalez and Hurd Introduce Bipartisan Bill to Help Border Communities Identify Missing Migrants

WASHINGTON – Today, Congressmen Vicente Gonzalez (TX-15) and Will Hurd (TX-23) introduced H.R. 8772 or the Missing Persons and Unidentified Remains Act of Act of 2020, bipartisan and bicameral legislation that will improve local jurisdictions' ability to record and report missing persons and unidentified remains found in South Texas and elsewhere along the U.S.-Mexico border. This is the companion bill to Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) and Vice President-Elect Senator Kamala Harris (D-CA)'s legislation that recently passed the U.S. Senate.

"With the devastating landfall of Hurricanes Iota and Eta and the destruction of crops and livelihoods, we can expect more migration from Central American countries to the United States in the future," said Congressman Gonzalez. " While we continue to work with neighbors to address the root causes of migration, our local governments in South Texas and across the U.S. – Mexico border continue to need help recovering and identifying the remains of missing migrants. It's my hope that these resources will offer relief to local law enforcement and provide closure for the families of those tragically lost."

"Until we address the root causes of mass migration flows from Central America, individuals will continue to make the perilous journey north," said Congressman Hurd, who represents more of the U.S.-Mexico border than any other Member of Congress. "This bipartisan bill helps prevent tragic deaths along the border by expanding CBP's rescue and apprehension capabilities, while also mitigating the burden placed on localities to identify perished individuals with the dignity they deserve. I am proud to join my fellow Texans Rep. Gonzalez and Sen. Cornyn again in working to provide a solution for this very real challenge faced by law enforcement agencies across my district."

This bill is endorsed by the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), the Southern Border Communities Coalition, the South Texans' Property Rights Association, the Texas Border Coalition, the National Criminal Justice Association, the Consortium of Forensic Science Organizations (including the American Academy of Forensic Sciences, the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law, the American Society of Crime Laboratory Directors, the International Association for Identification, the National Association of Medical Examiners, the Society of Forensic Toxicologists and American Board of Forensic Toxicology), the National Immigration Forum, and the Colibri Center for Human Rights.

The bill will:

• Expand eligibility for grants to allow applications from State and local governments; accredited government-funded Combined DNA Index System (CODIS) forensic laboratories; medical examiners; accredited publicly-funded toxicology, crime, and university forensic anthropology center laboratories; and nonprofit organizations who have collaborative agreements with State and county forensic offices for entry of data into CODIS or National Missing and Unidentified Persons Systems (NamUS).
• Require reporting to the National Crime Information Center (NCIC) and NamUS regarding missing persons and deceased individuals found in each applicant's jurisdiction.
• Add privacy protections for biological family reference samples that will be uploaded into CODIS by precluding disclosure of such information to Federal or state law enforcement agency's for criminal law enforcement purposes.
• Authorize the use of grant funds to cover costs incurred since FY 2017 and going forward for the:
  • transportation, processing, identification, and reporting of missing persons and unidentified remains;
  • hiring of additional DNA case analysts and technicians, fingerprint examiners, and forensic odonatologists and anthropologists needed to support identification; and
  • purchase of state-of-the-art forensic and DNA-typing and analytical equipment.
• Expand U.S. Customs and Border Protection's (CBP) legal authorities to allow for the purchase of additional self-powering 9-1-1- cellular relay rescue beacons to mitigate deaths in places where CBP determines are appropriate.
• Add reporting requirements for the NamUS Program regarding the number of unidentified person cases, anthropology cases, suspected border crossing cases and associations made.
• Add reporting requirements for CBP and the Government Accountability Office (GAO) on unidentified remains and use of rescue beacons.

Congressmen Gonzalez and Hurd originally introduced this bill in the 115th Congress.