President Trump has signed into law a bill to help improve the ability to identify migrants who have perished while making their trek across the border and through South Texas. The bipartisan legislation provides assistance to local law enforcement agencies which don’t have adequate resources to report and record the remains of migrants found on ranchlands or in bodies of water.
The bill allows local and state governments, nonprofit organizations, and others to apply for grants to cover the costs of identifying and processing migrant remains.
The funding can be used for hiring DNA technicians and forensic specialists, and for purchasing state-of-the-art forensic and analytical equipment. The measure was sponsored in the Senate by John Cornyn and Kamala Harris, and in the House by McAllen Congressman Vicente Gonzalez and Will Hurd.