Why the US is collecting DNA from migrants | The Take

DNA may be the new front line of immigration control. The US government has collected the DNA of more than 130,000 migrant children and teenagers, some as young as four, and stored their profiles in CODIS, the FBI’s criminal database. Officials say it’s about public safety. But privacy advocates say it turns civil immigration cases into permanent criminal surveillance.

In this episode:

- Stevie Glaberson, Director of Research & Advocacy at Georgetown Law Center

Episode credits:

This episode was produced by Noor Wazwaz, Sarí el-Khalili and Amy Walters, with Phillip Lanos, Spencer Cline, Marcos Bartolomé, Melanie Marich, Sonia Bhagat, Marya Khan, and our guest host, Manuel Rápalo. It was edited by Kylene Kiang.

Our sound designer is Alex Roldan. Our video editors are Hisham Abu Salah and Mohannad al-Melhem. Alexandra Locke is The Take’s executive producer. Ney Alvarez is Al Jazeera’s head of audio.

Post from Al Jazeera on July 25, 2025

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