Senator Ron Wyden is pressing the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Department of Justice (DOJ) regarding the extensive DNA collection from immigrants, particularly children. Wyden criticized this practice as a troubling expansion of an opaque system, noting that DNA samples from around 133,000 minors were taken without proper justification. The Senator highlighted that these DNA profiles are stored in CODIS, leading to concerns over treating these children as suspects for future crimes. The majority of samples were collected from citizens of Mexico, Venezuela, Cuba, and Haiti.
Wyden confronted the agencies with demands this week to explain the scope, legality, and oversight of the government's DNA collection.
Citing recent data that shows DHS took genetic samples from approximately 133,000 migrant children and teenagers...
The vast majority of those profiled-more than 70 percent-were citizens of just four countries: Mexico, Venezuela, Cuba, and Haiti.
Wyden writes, 'By including these children's DNA in CODIS, their profiles will be queried every time a search is done of the database.'
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