Al Mayadeen English

  • Ar
  • Es
  • x
Al Mayadeen English

Slogan

  • News
    • Politics
    • Economy
    • Sports
    • Arts&Culture
    • Health
    • Miscellaneous
    • Technology
    • Environment
  • Articles
    • Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Blog
    • Features
  • Videos
    • NewsFeed
    • Video Features
    • Explainers
    • TV
    • Digital Series
  • Infographs
  • In Pictures
  • • LIVE
News
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • Sports
  • Arts&Culture
  • Health
  • Miscellaneous
  • Technology
  • Environment
Articles
  • Opinion
  • Analysis
  • Blog
  • Features
Videos
  • NewsFeed
  • Video Features
  • Explainers
  • TV
  • Digital Series
Infographs
In Pictures
  • Africa
  • Asia
  • Asia-Pacific
  • Europe
  • Latin America
  • MENA
  • Palestine
  • US & Canada
BREAKING
Trump: We want to feed the people in Gaza, we do not want them to starve.
US President Donald Trump: We will impose sanctions on Russia if it does not end the war on Ukraine.
Israeli media: Polls show that 52% oppose Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu while only 29% support him.
Israeli media: 32% of Americans still support "Israel's" war on Hamas, while 60% oppose it.
Israeli media: Core US support for "Israel" hits its lowest, while support for Palestine reaches its highest levels.
Al Mayadeen's correspondent reports martyrs, injuries in Israeli bombardment of home in Heker al-Jame area in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza.
Al-Quds Governorate: Today, the spatial division of Al-Aqsa Mosque began in a public and dangerous manner, and we warn of a religious war in the region
The Ministry of Health in Gaza: This brings the total number of victims of famine and malnutrition to 175, including 93 children
The Ministry of Health in Gaza: Gaza's hospitals recorded six deaths due to starvation and malnutrition in the past 24 hours, all of them adults
Informed sources to Al Mayadeen: A new chapter in relations between Iran and the International Atomic Energy Agency will begin within the framework of the new law passed by Parliament

US 'genetic surveillance': Children targeted, DNA sent to FBI

  • By Al Mayadeen English
  • Source: The Guardian
  • 31 May 2025 20:59
  • 1 Shares
4 Min Read

US immigration authorities have added over 1.5 million DNA profiles, including those of migrant children, to the FBI's CODIS database.

Listen
  • x
  • People place flowers on a fence outside Krome Detention Center in Miami, on May 24, 2025. (AP)
    People place flowers on a fence outside Krome Detention Center in Miami on May 24, 2025 (AP)

US immigration authorities are collecting and uploading the DNA information of migrants, including children, to a national criminal database, according to newly released government documents.

According to The Guardian on Saturday, the documents, published by Customs and Border Protection (CBP), reveal that the agency has been gathering DNA from individuals in its custody, many of whom have not been accused of any felony offense.

The data are being submitted to the FBI’s Combined DNA Index System (CODIS), a national database used by federal, state, and local law enforcement to identify suspects through genetic material. According to experts, cited by The Guardian, this practice represents a sweeping and unprecedented expansion of genetic surveillance.

'Genetic surveillance'

"This is a massive expansion of genetic surveillance and an unjustified invasion of privacy," said Emerald Tse, a researcher at Georgetown University’s Center on Privacy and Technology.

The DNA collected by CBP is being stored indefinitely by the FBI in CODIS. According to the agency, samples are taken from individuals who are arrested on federal charges or detained under CBP’s authority and subject to fingerprinting.

Additionally, CBP’s assistant commissioner of public affairs, Hilton Beckham, justified the policy by citing "national security" concerns.

“We are not letting human smugglers, child sex traffickers, and other criminals enter American communities,” Beckham told Wired, which first reported the story.

However, the documents indicate that many individuals whose DNA has been collected were not charged with any crime, and Georgetown researchers noted that the policy appears to target nearly every migrant detained, regardless of the circumstances.

Related News

Iraq’s PMF law seen as test of sovereignty amid US objections

Notorious Palantir lands record $10bln contract with the US Army

Read next: Thousands of federal agents reassigned to immigration: Reuters

Children as young as four included in surveillance program

More than 133,000 migrant children and teens have had their DNA collected and added to the database since 2020. Of those, nearly 230 were children under 13 and over 30,000 were between the ages of 14 and 17.

CBP policy states that DNA collection generally applies to individuals aged 14 to 79, but field officers have discretion, especially under the Department of Justice's 2020 directive, which mandated DNA collection from detained non-US citizens.

A recent report from Georgetown University and the Center on Privacy and Technology highlights that CBP has uploaded more than 1.5 million DNA profiles to CODIS since 2020, an increase of 5,000% in just three years.

Read next: FBI's DNA database expanding at a record pace: The Intercept

Policing practices reinforced

Tse said, "The program reinforces harmful narratives about immigrants and intensifies existing policing practices that target immigrant communities and communities of color," adding that the report stresses that this level of data collection would not have been legally permissible in a traditional criminal context due to stricter safeguards.

While state and local law enforcement face legal constraints when collecting DNA from criminal suspects, the immigration system imposes fewer restrictions. In this context, merely being "detained" can trigger DNA collection, even though the term is loosely defined and inconsistently applied.

The CBP documents include detailed personal information such as age, country of origin, transfer destinations, and the basis for detention.

Privacy advocates raise alarm

Moreover, the indefinite storage of DNA profiles, particularly of minors and individuals not charged with any crime, raises serious ethical and privacy concerns.

Quoting internal CBP documentation, the Georgetown report asks, "How would it change your behavior to know that the government had a drop of your blood, or saliva, containing your entire genetic code, which will be kept indefinitely in a government-controlled refrigerator in a warehouse in Northern Virginia?"

According to the report, privacy advocates warned that such mass surveillance undermines civil liberties, particularly for immigrant and minority communities, and could deter individuals from seeking healthcare, protesting, or simply existing freely in society.

  • United States
  • US Customs and Border Protection
  • us immigration
  • CODIS
  • FBI

Most Read

A rescued crew member from the ETERNITY C vessel in a video released by the Yemeni Armed Forces on July 28, 2025 (Yemeni Military Media)

Yemen Navy reveals fate of targeted Eternity C ship crew

  • Politics
  • 28 Jul 2025
An Israeli tank explodes following an ambush by al-Qassam Brigades in Gaza, Occupied Palestine, undated (Al-Qassam Military Media)

Al-Qassam strikes Israeli vehicles in Gaza, inflicts casualties

  • Politics
  • 30 Jul 2025
UAE lodges complaint against Israeli ambassador over 'misbehavior'

UAE lodges complaint against Israeli ambassador over 'misbehavior'

  • Politics
  • 1 Aug 2025
An explosion seen during an Iranian missile attack on Tel Aviv, Occupied Palestine, June 13, 2025 (AP)

If Iran is attacked again, geography of response may change: IRGC spox

  • Politics
  • 30 Jul 2025

Coverage

All
The Ummah's Martyrs

Read Next

All
A member of the al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, takes part in a parade as he celebrates a ceasefire agreement between Hamas and the Israeli regime in Deir al-Balah, Gaza Strip, Sunday, January 19, 2025 (AP)
Politics

Al-Qassam: We’ll allow aid to Israeli captives if Gaza siege ends

Freed Lebanese freedom fighter Georges Abdallah during an interview on Al Mayadeen, which aired on Sunday, August 3, 2025 (Al Mayadeen screengrab)
Politics

Exclusive: Resistance key to building state, Georges Abdallah says

United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres gives a statement about the situation in Gaza at UN headquarters, Friday, June 27, 2025 (AP)
Politics

UN warns Gaza faces water crisis, looming famine under Israeli siege

Israeli soldiers drive their armored personnel carrier along the Gaza Strip, in southern occupied Palestine, Wednesday, July 30, 2025 (AP)
Politics

Ex-Israeli general says Gaza starvation campaign isolated 'Israel'

Al Mayadeen English

Al Mayadeen is an Arab Independent Media Satellite Channel.

All Rights Reserved

  • x
  • Privacy Policy
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Authors
Android
iOS