Georgia's DNA Bill Targets Immigrants

0:00It's March 31st. You're listening to U.S. News today, AI-powered national coverage. Georgia's pushing a new bill that would collect DNA from immigrants charged with misdemeanors or felonies, but only of federal immigration officials. Issue with its trainer and don't pick them up within 48 hours. If it passes, Georgia becomes the third state targeting undocumented folks this way after Florida in 2023 and Oklahoma back in two. In 2009, this skips DNA swabs for citizens based in the same minor charges. Meanwhile, the federal government's ramping up DNA use in immigration enforcement, especially under the Trump administration's deportation push. The FBI's national database now holds over 26 million profiles with the Department of Homeland Security adding 2.6 million from. Detainees since 2020. They're even proposing rules to swab U.S. citizens for family ties in immigration cases. Critics like privacy advocates warn this creates a two-tiered system based on immigration status, pulling genetic data from people for stuff like traffic tickets, misdemeanors in Georgia.

1:10Supporters, including the bill sponsor, say it's key tech for solving crimes and delivering justice to victims. Just 10 states swab for certain misdemeanors nationwide, none for all. Legal experts question if immigration detainers meet the probable cause standard upheld by the Supreme Court in 2013 for serious charges. Groups like the American Immigration Council call it unnecessary surveillance on non-citizens, even if they're not deportable. As states like Georgia build on recent laws mandating cooperation with feds or risk funding cuts, this DNA expansion highlights the growing overlap. Between local policing and national immigration crackdowns, raising big questions on privacy for everyone involved.