US EditionDHS Collecting DNA as Part of Larger 'Massive Surveillance' Effort ...
- On June 2, 2025, three civil rights organizations initiated legal action targeting the Department of Homeland Security to obtain records related to its collection of DNA samples from noncitizens.
- The lawsuit followed over nine months of unsuccessful FOIA requests aimed at uncovering details about the rapidly expanding DNA program launched in 2020 and intensified under both Trump and Biden administrations.
- DHS has added more than 1.5 million DNA profiles from migrants to the FBI's CODIS database, increasing the total by approximately 5,000 percent, often including individuals with no criminal charges.
- Experts warn the program collects genetic material under coercive and legally unclear circumstances, with concerns that DNA data could be used indefinitely to surveil noncitizen communities beyond immigration enforcement.
- The lawsuit seeks injunctive relief to compel transparency on policies guiding DNA collection, storage, and use, highlighting serious privacy, oversight, and civil rights implications of the DHS program.
11 Articles
11 Articles
ACLU Sues Trump Administration Over Withheld Records on Migrant DNA Collection
Washington, D.C. — The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has filed a federal lawsuit against the Trump administration, alleging noncompliance with the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) concerning the collection of DNA samples from immigrants in federal custody. The lawsuit contends that agencies such as the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) have failed to…
D.C. Groups Sue DHS Over Secretive Noncitizen DNA Collection
Three civil rights organizations have filed a lawsuit against the Department of Homeland Security for failing to respond to a Freedom of Information Act request regarding the agency's collection of DNA from noncitizens, which has disproportionately targeted people of color and could be used to intimidate and silence those who oppose the administration's policies. The post D.C. Groups Sue DHS Over Secretive Noncitizen DNA Collection appeared firs…
Advocacy groups sue DHS, ask for transparency of its DNA collection program
With the growing number of immigration enforcement operations across the country, advocacy groups are demanding more transparency from the Department of Homeland Security, including its “little-known” DNA collection program. According to a new lawsuit, immigration agents can collect genetic material from nearly all undocumented noncitizens, including those without criminal convictions, and submit those samples to the FBI. Advocacy groups and...
DNA sample collection from migrants without criminal convictions reaches the courts
Several civil rights organizations have filed a lawsuit against the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) over lack of information regarding the collection and use of migrants’ DNA. The plaintiffs allege that the collected samples are being transferred to the FBI for testing and inclusion in the federal government’s DNA database known as the Combined DNA Index System (CODIS), which is used by local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies to…
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