The first phase of this new program, however, broadens ICE's reach to collecting DNA samples from travelers detained at the Canadian border in or near Detroit and "at the official port of entry at Eagle Pass, Texas, across from Piedras Negras, Mexico."
The Associated Press (AP)reported that "In Detroit people as young as 14 will be subject to DNA collection."
At first, testing was "voluntary" even though documents suggest families are more likely to be separated if they refuse.
Now it is reported those who refuse face federal misdemeanor charges.
City University of New York (CUNY) associate law professor and co-director of Immigrant and Non-Citizen Rights Clinic, Nermeen Arastu, along with Legal Services NYC immigration attorneys Cristina Velez and Razeen Zaman, wrote in the Daily News in October:
"This database, known as the Combined DNA Index System, was born to identify convicted sex offenders and serial violent crimes. The list has problematically been expanded to include those who have only been arrested and never convicted of any crime, a daily reality for many people of color subject to racial profiling and over-policing. Now, this policy goes even a step forward to include those discretionarily detained by the U.S. government, including those encountered at the U.S. border, who include many asylum seekers who have committed no crimes other than immigration violations."
They add:
"Less than two weeks ago, DHS announced that it expects to have face, fingerprints and iris scans of at least 259 million people in its biometrics database by 2022. This would cover nearly 80% of the population of the United States. This expansion of biometrics in and of itself allows the government vast investigatory and identification resources over those crossing the U.S. border. Why then is DNA needed?"
DNA collection also helps facilitate the Trump administration's desire to refuse deportation deferrals for those suffering from serious medical conditions.
Arastu, Velez, and Zaman explained:
"Given the Trump administration's efforts to exclude intending immigrants deemed unhealthy and weak, it seems natural that the government could use this data to deny admission to an otherwise eligible individual who may have a genetic propensity towards certain illnesses. In practice, this may mean an aspiring American is one day denied permanent residence because of predisposition towards an illness revealed by a forcible DNA test, a predisposition of which they may themselves not be aware, even if they are in perfect health."
A former Department of Homeland Security (DHS) deputy general counsel told BuzzFeed:
This is not the first instance of ICE mining people's private data.
According to Georgetown Law experts who obtained government files through records requests, ICE authorities have been mining without warrants or subpoenas millions of Utah,New York, Vermont, and Washington drivers' license photos for possible facial recognition matches in an attempt to ensnare undocumented immigrants.
Law enforcement, ICE, and the FBI performed nearly 2,000 database facial-recognition searches of the more than five million DMV state ID photos in just Utah alone, according to a Washington Post analysis.
Since the earliest days of the Trump administration, ICE has rounded up immigrants for minor offenses.
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