The Trump administration reportedly might involuntarily 'extract' DNA from migrants

(Image credit: Mario Tama/Getty Images)

last updated 30 August 2019

Customs and Border Protection is reportedly working to roll out a dystopian-sounding new program.

Federal officials at the border have been performing voluntary DNA tests on migrants for more than a year in an attempt to reunited separated children with their families. But a new draft policy reveals the Trump administration wants to "expand" DNA testing by letting CBP "extract genetic material from undocumented immigrants in its custody," BuzzFeed News reports.

When the first DNA testing policy was rolled out last year, immigrant advocates expressed huge concerns over if the DNA was stored after testing, and whether children could give informed consent to be tested. This reported policy, if it moves beyond a draft, will likely draw even further scrutiny because the tests appear to be involuntary. These tests could implemented on "hundreds of thousands of immigrants" and involve "20,000 additional work hours" from CBP employees per year, BuzzFeed News writes. The draft reportedly does not explicitly prevent Immigration and Customs Enforcement from conducting the tests or accessing their results.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Explore More

Kathryn is a graduate of Syracuse University, with degrees in magazine journalism and information technology, along with hours to earn another degree after working at SU's independent paper The Daily Orange. She's currently recovering from a horse addiction while living in New York City, and likes to share her extremely dry sense of humor on Twitter.

Subscribe to The Week

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox