DHS Has Been Collecting US Citizens' DNA for Years (wired.com) 63
Customs and Border Protection collected DNA from nearly 2,000 US citizens between 2020 and 2024 and sent the samples to the FBI's CODIS crime database, according to Georgetown Law's Center on Privacy & Technology analysis of newly released government data. The collection included approximately 95 minors, some as young as 14, and travelers never charged with crimes.
Congress never authorized DNA collection from citizens, children or civil detainees. DHS has contributed 2.6 million profiles to CODIS since 2020, with 97% collected under civil rather than criminal authority. The expansion followed a 2020 Justice Department rule that revoked DHS's waiver from DNA collection requirements. Former FBI director Christopher Wray testified in 2023 that monthly DNA submissions jumped from a few thousand to 92,000, creating a backlog of 650,000 unprocessed kits. Georgetown researchers project DHS could account for one-third of CODIS by 2034. The DHS Inspector General found in 2021 that the department lacked central oversight of DNA collection.
Congress never authorized DNA collection from citizens, children or civil detainees. DHS has contributed 2.6 million profiles to CODIS since 2020, with 97% collected under civil rather than criminal authority. The expansion followed a 2020 Justice Department rule that revoked DHS's waiver from DNA collection requirements. Former FBI director Christopher Wray testified in 2023 that monthly DNA submissions jumped from a few thousand to 92,000, creating a backlog of 650,000 unprocessed kits. Georgetown researchers project DHS could account for one-third of CODIS by 2034. The DHS Inspector General found in 2021 that the department lacked central oversight of DNA collection.
shocked I am! (Score:5, Funny)
DHS/NSA/FBI has been doing something ILLEGAL for years?! I'm absolutely shocked!
Will there be a shred of accountability? of course not!
Re:shocked I am! (Score:5, Informative)
Well I can find what happened in 2020, during Trump's term:
https://www.federalregister.go... [federalregister.gov]
The DOJ amended a rule opening this up to mass collection.
Re: shocked I am! (Score:2)
Mass Collection? Are you serious?
Customs and Border Protection collected DNA from nearly 2,000 US citizens between 2020 and 2024 and sent the samples to the FBI's CODIS crime database
That's about one a day (2020-> 2024, 5 x 365 =1,825)... ideal? Hardly, but Mass Collection? Uh, no.
Re: (Score:2)
If you think that Trump doesn't use the autopen for the thousands of pieces of paper that require executive signature, as well as all the other random correspondence (i.e. thank you letters / cards / etc.) you're a complete buffoon.
What's the difference between an autopen and a completely disengaged septuagenarian who signs everything put in front of him by a minion anyway? Do you really think he reads the thousand-page bills sent to him by Congress for signature?
Tell us you're an unthinking cultist moron
Re: shocked I am! (Score:2)
Customs and Border Protection collected DNA from nearly 2,000 US citizens between 2020 and 2024 and sent the samples to the FBI's CODIS crime database
Are you really defending unelected admin staffers signing pardons never seen or discussed with POTUS via autopen?
Really?
You think it's OK because the people elected a feeble, barely cogent septuagenarian that struggled with exiting stairs, walking up stairs, and bicycles, and used a teleprompter that had a screen so large it took two people to move it?
Re: (Score:2)
Here is Trump on camera admitting he uses the autopen https://www.msnbc.com/morning-... [msnbc.com]
Re: shocked I am! (Score:2)
Using autopen is not controversial in and of itself, the issue is when you have political staffers decide what to have signed by autopen without even consulting the elected President.
Obama used autopen, Trump '45 used autopen, but as needed and at the direction of POTUS - Biden's staff used autopen because they didn't want to wake up Sleepy Joe to pardon a campaign donors convicted child/friend.
Re: shocked I am! (Score:2, Insightful)
We pay for Jews to commit genocide in another country so we don't have to look at it. It's very efficient.
Re: (Score:2)
My .sig is for you.
And mine is for you.
Hey, maybe if it was the other way around and them darned Jews crossed into Gaza and fucked up a peace and love music festival
A peace and love music festival held right next to the apartheid wall, which was most importantly not held on the day on which history began.
Your arguments are stupid, and more importantly boring. You are a net loss for Slashdot.
Re: shocked I am! (Score:2)
We're talking about 2,000 samples over the course of five years... that's once a day - ONCE - that's not really "holocaust-scale" is it?
Re: (Score:2)
So, we will shut them down, right? Like any criminal organisation?
Re: (Score:2)
Well, considering that the "border czar" of this administration was filmed by the FBI accepting a bag of cash [thehill.com] to either:
A. participate in a bribery conspiracy once Trump was elected and named him to a post in the government ... and the DoJ shut down the investigation (shocking!).
- or -
B. commit fraud by knowingly taking money to not do what he said he would do for that money
Every one of these guys is a grifter with god knows how many unindicted felonies. Your vote for congressional representation matters i
Re: shocked I am! (Score:5, Insightful)
There's absolutely nothing to suggest anything illegal was going on.
If someone asks you for a cheek swab and you give it to them, no one has committed a crime.
And with only 500 people per year, this doesn't seem to rise to the level of systemic abuse that might suggest coercion is going on.
People (most at least) are hardwired for social interaction. To them it's unnatural not to be polite and helpful to the officer.
The only phrases anyone needs with law enforcement are "no, thank you", "am I free to go", and "I'd like to talk to my lawyer". Anything else is a mistake. Never say anything, never sign anything, never provide anything, never help with anything.
Re: shocked I am! (Score:4, Informative)
There's absolutely nothing to suggest anything illegal was going on.
HahahAHhaHaHAHAHA
If someone asks you for a cheek swab and you give it to them, no one has committed a crime.
Try looking up "coercion" sometime
Re: (Score:2)
Right. You are at the border. Tired from your long flight. Agent asks for a cheek swab. Your choices are to refuse and at best get turned away and have to go back to where you came from, at worst they arrest and detain you for weeks or months, steal your stuff, trying to break into your phone and computer, and eventually deport you.
Re: (Score:3)
Of course not. Other than doing it at all in the first place. Sure people should know their rights and firmly but politely insist on them. But DHS shouldn't have even asked in the first place without some sort of warrant or congressional oversight.
Re: shocked I am! (Score:2)
Let me introduce you to the concept of law enforcement and investigation. It seems to be a topic you could learn some more about.
Re: This article suggests.... (Score:2)
So, you're cool with cops taking a swab when they pull you over for running a red light?
I have some boots that need licking if you're into that sort of thing...
Re: This article suggests.... (Score:2)
So, where do you want me to ship the boots?
Re: (Score:2)
Moron.
Re: (Score:2)
Dude, you're unhinged and completely ignoring the facts.
If they had only collected DNA from people who actually committed a crime then there wouldn't be a story. The whole story is about the lack of oversight leading to overreach that affected citizens never charged and never convicted of a crime.
An estimated 95 were minors, some as young as 14. The entries also include travelers never charged with a crime and dozens of cases where agents left the "charges" field blank. In other files, officers invoked civil penalties as justification for swabs that federal law reserves for criminal arrests.
Re: (Score:2)
This really might be cheeto's account. It sure looks and sounds like him with random capitalized words.
Re: (Score:2)
No, we don't. What we do have is the vast majority of crimes, of all types, are committed by U.S. citizens born in this country. Such as this one [reuters.com] which was recorded, but which Trump said isn't a big deal and ordered the case closed.
But please, continue with your ranting. It gives us something to laugh at.
Re: This article suggests.... (Score:2)
"who are REGULARLY found to be committing TREASON"
No, Republicans are home grown
Re: (Score:1)
I'm just glad we gave up all our rights (Score:1, Troll)
I get frustration with the highest skilled visas and the h2b visas and I'm not going to pretend that Americans won't do roofing if they're paid well let alone framing houses and putting up drywall.
But the focus is always on the farm workers because they are easy pickings for ice. It makes the numbers look good.
And like everything Trump does this
Re: (Score:2)
The article/summary pertain to data collections between 2020-2024. It has nothing to do with whatever screed you're posting today.
Re: (Score:2)
Hey, remind me who was president in 2020 again?
Re: (Score:2)
Remind me who was President between 2021-2024 again?
Re:Between 2020 and 2024 (Score:5, Informative)
You are attempting a bad-faith argument.
Re: (Score:3)
Who are these mystical independents you speak of ready to run in elections? Where have they been until now?
Also you say majority but the Senate was a literal 50/50 with Manchin and Sinema having to be appealed to at every turn so not exactly ready to just pass everything.
To say nothing of the fact that there was that little thing called COVID that they had to respond to after things were fucked up in 2020.
But you do bring up a point in that the Democrats mistake was caring about the rules, the norms, the Co
Re: (Score:2)
On the day Alphabet sends Congress a letter admitting the Biden admin was exercising prior restraint over YouTube
There are no norms, and standards of practice and there have been none for decades now.
Anyone who accuses someone of violating norms is basically just BSing, it amounts to I can't make legal or policy argument, for why they can't do this but I don't like it. Its stupid, because we know the both our guys and the other guys are were doing morally and practically equivalent things just months ago, a
Re: (Score:2)
If you have evidence why do you need the letter? There have been majority Republican Congress for 2022 and 2024. Also what do we even mean by prior restraint. How many times has Google been called on for testimony.
This feels cheap and bad faith also.
So much of structure of Congress is built on norms. Things we've never been pressed to put laws around because everyone followed them.
I would say just the opposite, those who are so quick to dispose of our norms for expediency or partisanship are the losers w
Re: (Score:2)
Keep up the good work.
Re: (Score:2)
Doesn't look like that worked.
Lots of people have your DNA (Score:5, Interesting)
Re: (Score:3)
So Amazon probably knows my DNA better than I do.
I am not sure it's *your* DNA any more. Did you read the fine print?
Re: (Score:2)
Re: Lots of people have your DNA (Score:2)
What's your DNA doing this evening?
Re: (Score:2)
They "drug tested" everybody by having them take a mouth swab.
I am pretty sure that is likely a valid drug test and not an attempt at getting DNA; however, I do acknowledge that DNA could be taken from it. When I was working overseas I had to take one (they chose me because they knew I would come back clean, it was to catch someone else). I am 99.9% certain it was a valid drug test because they already had my DNA and the person who was 'targeted' by the 'random' drug test failed and was fired.
Most drug tests use urinalysis, but some clip hair or do cheek swabs.
US Citizens? How? (Score:1)