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Thursday, 28 March 2024

Trump seeks to boost DNA collection of immigrants

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Trump seeks to boost DNA collection of immigrants
Trump seeks to boost DNA collection of immigrants

The Trump administration on Friday formally proposed collecting DNA and other biometric data from immigrants as well as the U.S. citizens who are sponsoring them.

Colette Luke has the latest.

The Trump administration on Friday formally proposed a sweeping expansion of its collection of DNA and other biometric data of immigrants, to go beyond detained migrants in order to include U.S. citizen sponsors and others.

In a notice from the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services published in the Federal Register, the proposal also vastly expands the biological information that DHS collects beyond genetic material to include eye scans, voice prints, and palm prints.

DHS said the expansion, which would include children among other changes, would help prove family relationships, verify identities, and check criminal histories.

But critics have said it raises serious privacy concerns.

The American Civil Liberties Union last week blasted the move in a statement, saying it would hinder legal immigration and quote “make it easier for the government to surveil and target our communities and to bring us closer to a dystopian nightmare.” The plan is the latest move by President Donald Trump, who won office in part with his anti-immigrant rhetoric, to remake the nation's immigration system and make good on his campaign promises as he seeks re-election in November.

His administration last year called for the collection of DNA of detained migrants, arguing it was allowed under a 2005 law and could help detect fraud and solve cold cases.

Trump has long linked his anti-immigration policies to crime-fighting, although studies show immigrants do not commit crime at a higher rate than native-born Americans.

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