
A new report has revealed that U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has collected DNA from over 1.5 million migrants since 2020—including more than 133,000 children and teenagers—and submitted the genetic profiles to the FBI's Combined DNA Index System (CODIS), a national criminal database traditionally reserved for individuals arrested or convicted of serious crimes.
Critics, however, believe the program reinforces harmful narratives about immigrants and intensifies existing policing practices that target immigrant communities.