ACLU Supporter –

Immigrants in detention sites have no control over their movements, their health, or their futures. Soon, immigrants might not even have control over their DNA.

The Trump administration has outlined plans to take DNA samples from hundreds of thousands of people living in detention centers without their consent. The Justice Department is claiming it will help solve crimes, but history shows us that the government often abuses mass surveillance tools to violate fundamental rights.

Act now: Submit your public comment against forced DNA collection. The DOJ is accepting comments until Nov. 12 – so your comment could be the difference it takes to stop this proposed rule.

DNA collection could become a normal form of government surveillance – for all of us – if the DOJ moves forward with its plans. Through this new policy, the government will vastly expand its law enforcement DNA database, giving it access to powerful information about the population at large.

Imagine a world in which the government uses your DNA to determine your likelihood of developing a particular health condition or succumbing to substance abuse, and then conditions your ability to work, have children, travel, or receive benefits on that. Or one in which the government tracks your movement by running the DNA you involuntarily leave behind on every cup, tissue, and more against its database.

The dangers can't be overstated. We can't let the government collect immigrant DNA and set us on a path for mass surveillance using our most intimate, sensitive information. Make your public comment now.

Everyone deserves the fundamental right to privacy, including immigrants in detention sites.

Thanks for making your voice heard,

Vera Eidelman
ACLU attorney, fighting for privacy rights