Thread: U.S. to take DNA from all arrested, detained illegal aliens

U.S. to take DNA from arrested, detained immigrants

by Anna Gormana - Jan. 8, 2009 05:44 PM
Los Angeles Times

Beginning Friday, the U.S. government will collect DNA samples from immigrants arrested and detained, despite concerns that the move violates their privacy rights.

The new Department of Justice policy also will expand DNA collection to people arrested on suspicion of committing federal crimes. Previously, the government only obtained DNA from people convicted of certain crimes.

The samples will be added to the national database and used to make identifications through comparisons to crime scene evidence, according to the Justice Department.

"The collection of DNA samples is an important crime-fighting and crime-solving tool," said Evan Peterson, spokesman for the department.

The American Civil Liberties Union said Thursday it is considering filing a lawsuit and that it will closely monitor the additional collection of DNA samples.

"We will be looking to see whether mistakes are made," said Barry Steinhardt, director of the ACLU's technology and liberty program.

Steinhardt said he has "grave concerns" about the rapid expansion of the DNA database to include immigrant detainees and people accused of committing crimes.

"People who are merely accused of a crime or a civil violation of law but haven't been convicted of anything are being subjected to the most invasive sort of testing," he said.

Sen. Jon Kyl, R-Ariz., has said the change is designed to prevent violent crimes by deportees who return illegally. Kyl authored a 2005 law that authorized the department to include pre-conviction DNA samples in its national database.

Center for Immigration Studies Executive Director Mark Krikorian said Thursday DNA is becoming a standard law enforcement tool that is better than fingerprints for identification.

"It's especially important with regard to immigration because people are changing their names and presenting easily forged foreign documents," he said. "It's important to know who is who and when someone is lying."

More than 1.3 million samples from immigrants, detainees and federal arrestees are expected to be added to the database under the new policy, according to the FBI. The agency received an additional influx of funds to upgrade its DNA programs and software to accommodate the increased workload.

But Steinhardt said he believes the program will be impractical, saying there is already a backlog.

"The more you expand these databases the greater the returns diminish," he said.

David Leopold, the national vice president of the American Immigration Lawyers Association., said the DNA collection is part of a trend by the U.S. government to treat immigrants as criminals, even though they are civil detainees. Many detained immigrants, for example, are housed in county jails alongside suspected and convicted criminals.

Leopold said he also worries that some of those detained and forced to give DNA will turn out to be U.S. citizens.

"This rule is just a terrifying expansion of power," he said.

http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/ ... 08-ON.html

US to collect DNA from anyone arrested or detained by Feds

U.S. Set to Begin a Vast Expansion of DNA Sampling

By JULIA PRESTON
Published: February 5, 2007

The Justice Department is completing rules to allow the collection of DNA from most people arrested or detained by federal authorities, a vast expansion of DNA gathering that will include hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrants, by far the largest group affected.

The new forensic DNA sampling was authorized by Congress in a little-noticed amendment to a January 2006 renewal of the Violence Against Women Act, which provides protections and assistance for victims of sexual crimes. The amendment permits DNA collecting from anyone under criminal arrest by federal authorities, and also from illegal immigrants detained by federal agents.

Over the last year, the Justice Department has been conducting an internal review and consulting with other agencies to prepare regulations to carry out the law.

The goal, justice officials said, is to make the practice of DNA sampling as routine as fingerprinting for anyone detained by federal agents, including illegal immigrants. Until now, federal authorities have taken DNA samples only from convicted felons. The law has strong support from crime victims’ organizations and some women’s groups, who say it will help law enforcement identify sexual predators and also detect dangerous criminals among illegal immigrants.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/05/washi ... dna.html...

I bet this will help solve a bunch of old cold cases.

"It's especially important with regard to immigration because people are changing their names and presenting easily forged foreign documents," he said. "It's important to know who is who and when someone is lying."

Considering that ALL legal immigrants and most Americans already have their fingerprints on file, I don't see why illegal aliens shouldn't. After all, they do the "jobs" (changing their names, using fake/stolen ID) most Americans don't. It's about time!

added to the homepage

http://www.alipac.us/article3892.html

Finally. It's about time.

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Quote:
"Beginning Friday, the U.S. government will collect DNA samples from immigrants arrested and detained, despite concerns that the move violates their privacy rights.

The new Department of Justice policy also will expand DNA collection to people arrested on suspicion of committing federal crimes. Previously, the government only obtained DNA from people convicted of certain crimes."

Reply:
Although I usually don't side with the ACLU, it would seem to me that collection of DNA samples from those who have simply been arrested and detained--U.S. citizen or otherwise--rather than actually convicted of specific federal crimes ennumerated by law would be a violation of their rights. Further, there was a large exposure in a DFW area crime lab not too very long ago about large-scale mistakes being made in both taking and storage of DNA material there. See "Inside the DNA Labs":
http://www.truthinjustice.org/inside-labs.htm

Whats the accuracy rate for DNA samples? Is it 100% or is it slightly less? I am somewhat concerned from a privacy standpoint that those merely accused of violating a federal law versus actually being convicted being forced to submit a DNA sample. Again, its a fine balance of overall public safety versus privacy rights but once this happens at the federal level there is nothing to prevent it at a state level. Pretty soon professions that require submitting a finger print card will require DNA instead. In time this could evolve to DNA being required fro the hospitals upon birth a child and then we are at a point where we are subjects of the government that we fought to gain independence from. This could have longterm unintended consequences by allowing this door to be opened to government. I think more thought and discussion needs to be held by the people on this before we allow it to be implimented on the federal proposal to gather DNA from those accused of a crime.

What I would like to see is the percentage of people who were accused of federal law violations but never convicted in the last 10-20 years to see what statistcally we are really looking at here. Anybody that can find that info I would really appreciate if you could post it.

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http://www.alipac.us/f19/gov-wants-f...mpling-215709/