Investigation finds hundreds of immigrant remains aren't identified

• Many die in stretches of desert where it is complicated to recover bodies, or they are left unmarked.
• No federal laws — or uniform ways — guide authorities on how to handle these remains or repatriate them once they are identified.

State of play: The Operation Identification project at Texas State University is trying to aid in the identification process.

• Their offices hold about 300 boxes with unidentified remains.
• Using DNA samples, tattoos, or photos of belongings sent to consulates to establish identities, the group has identified 140 people in the last decade.

Between the lines: Even when an identification is made, repatriation can be extremely complicated because of bureaucratic processes, costs of up to $6,500 or travel difficulties to claim the remains.

• Diplomatic relations between the U.S. and any given country of origin also play a role.

• For example, a Nicaraguan family tells Telemundo that even after their loved one had been identified, the Nicaraguan consulate in Houston did not notify them.

What they're saying: "Identifying a body doesn't carry the same meaning if the family can't have their loved one back. It's like another death, having to keep waiting," Molly Kaplan, a research assistant at Operation Identification, tells Telemundo.

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