WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 07th January, 2020) US law enforcement agencies will begin collecting DNA from people detained at the border, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said in a memorandum.
"US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), as Federal law enforcement agencies, are statutorily mandated to collect deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) from certain individuals who come into their custody. CBP and ICE will begin to collect DNA from persons who are detained under the authority of the United States," the memorandum, published on Monday, said.
US authorities by law, the memo added, are allowed to collect DNA from individuals arrested, convicted or facing charges in addition to other non-American detainees.
The memo said failure to provide a DNA sample as required would be considered a misdemeanor.
The DNA samples will be sent to the FBI Laboratory, which will process the samples and store them in the FBI's Combined DNA Index System (CODIS). The FBI can retain any DNA profile for an unspecified period of time, the document said.
The pilot program has drawn the ire of immigrant and privacy rights advocacy groups, who argue that the program can be exploited for surveillance purposes.
