First, the DNA collection law at issue has been on the books since 2005, when it passed with bipartisan support. It requires the collection of DNA samples from "non-United States persons in detention for immigration violations." Per the whistleblowers, DHS is not enforcing that law — certainly not fully — and hasn't been under both Democrat and Republican administrations.

A December 2021 internal government memo from the U.S. Office of Special Counsel regarding its investigation of the charges levied by Jones, Taylor, and Wynn found that the agency had intentionally failed to implement the law — designed to protect public safety — for decades. //

Taylor, Wynn, and Jones all are confident that the continued, willful failure to enforce the law has resulted in American deaths — deaths that were preventable. //

The whistleblowers affirm that DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas has been notified of the failure to comply with the law, but no one at DHS has been disciplined for that failure.

The only ones who have been disciplined are the whistleblowers themselves. The internal OSC memo referenced above concluded that the agency retaliated against the whistleblowers, including denial of promotion, hostile work environment, and reputational harm. The OSC refused to disclose the memo, and the whistleblowers were only able to obtain it via discovery. They have had to spend their own money to pursue litigation to confirm that they were subject to that retaliation. //

Both Taylor and Jones have had their law enforcement credentials and firearms taken away from them. Taylor has had his law enforcement retirement stripped. Taylor notes, "In a law enforcement environment, publicly removing someone's firearm is the ultimate insult and degradation." Per Wynn, "I was basically iced — left to sit at my desk every day, do nothing but the most menial of tasks." States Jones, "I was demoted three levels. Like Mr. Taylor, my firearm was taken, my credentials were taken. And it was the final blow to a professional career. And what we did, was we came forward." This despite the fact that none of the men had ever received a written or verbal disciplinary action.

Jones sums it up thusly:

"One of the supervisors said, very matter of fact: 'The agency's goal is to bankrupt you, make you quit, die, kill yourselves, or basically, preferably, all of the above.'"