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U.S. to Collect DNA of All Undocumented Migrants

posted by Fnord666 on Thursday October 03 2019, @11:42AM   Printer-friendly
from the gotta-watch-the-watchers dept.

martyb writes:

U.S. to Collect DNA of All Undocumented Migrants:

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is developing a plan to take DNA samples from each of the undocumented immigrants and store it in a national database for criminal DNA profiles, they said.

Speaking to journalists on grounds of anonymity, DHS officials said the new policy would give immigration and border control agents a broader picture of the migrant and detainee situation.

And stored on the FBI's CODIS DNA database, it could also be used by others in law enforcement and beyond.

[...] Officials said they were in fact required to take the DNA samples by rules about the handling of arrested and convicted people that were issued by the Justice Department in 2006 and 2010, but which had not been implemented.

They said the program for collecting DNA was still being developed, and they did not have a date set for implementation.

Collecting and storing the DNA of people simply detained and not tried or convicted of a crime has drawn criticism from civil rights advocates.

"Forced DNA collection raises serious privacy and civil liberties concerns and lacks justification, especially when DHS is already using less intrusive identification methods like fingerprinting," Vera Eidelman, an attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union, said in a statement.

"This kind of mass collection also alters the purpose of DNA collection from one of criminal investigation to population surveillance, which is contrary to our basic notions of freedom and autonomy," Eidelman said.

If it becomes okay to do this to "them", how long will it take before they want to do it to "us"?

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  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday October 03 2019, @10:31PM (1 child)

    by Anonymous Coward on Thursday October 03 2019, @10:31PM (#902453)

    Do these people not understand? If you are an illegal immigrant, you have broken the law and are a criminal. Taking fingerprints and DNA is standard for criminals.

    Crossing the border illegally is a misdemeanor. Serious question: do people charged with misdemeanors typically get a DNA sample taken and fingerprinted? I'm genuinely curious to know.

    If you immigrate lawfully, DNA and fingerprints will not be taken. Because you're following the law.

    Are you sure about that? My understanding is that ALL immigrants typically have to give up "biometric data", which I take to be retinal scans and fingerprints at least. If you or someone else knows better, please enlighten me.

    Immigration is not a hot button issue for me, but this is a very basic distinction that everyone should understand and respect.

    I am truly trying to understand, hence my questions above. I await enlightenment at your soonest possible convenience. Thanks.

  • (Score: 2) by takyon on Thursday October 03 2019, @10:48PM

    by takyon (881) <takyonNO@SPAMsoylentnews.org> on Thursday October 03 2019, @10:48PM (#902457) Journal

    DNA From Genealogy Site Led to Capture of Golden State Killer Suspect [soylentnews.org]

    In 2004, California voters passed Proposition 69, known as the "DNA Fingerprint, Unsolved Crime and Innocence Protection Act." [ca.gov] It gave the state broader powers to collect DNA. Now, it could get samples from anyone not just convicted of a felony, but even arrested for one. In some cases, authorities could also collect DNA from misdemeanor arrests.

    Proposition 69 (DNA) [ca.gov]

    If your DNA was taken at arrest, you can ask to have it removed from DNA Databases, under the following conditions:

    • If not charged with a felony
    • If not convicted of a felony
    • If misdemeanor conviction, must have no prior felonies
    • If not a registering sex or arson offender
    • Other conditions apply

    Fingerprints may be collected for misdemeanors, depending on the state. These records could end up at the FBI.

    The system wants everyone's biometric data and even whole genome sequences. We're getting there eventually.

    --
    [SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]