Immigrant advocates decry new rules on courts, DNA

[struggle4progress]

Source: AP

By AMY TAXIN – 14 minutes ago

SANTA ANA, Calif. (AP) — Civil liberties and immigrant rights advocates expressed outrage over a Department of Justice rule that took effect Friday, mandating federal agencies to collect DNA samples from anyone who is arrested and foreigners detained by immigration authorities.

The rule aims to help federal law enforcement agencies solve and deter crimes by expanding the country's DNA database, which is overseen by the FBI. The government also hopes that sampling immigrant detainees will help law enforcement hold them accountable for any crimes they committed in the United States ...

"We should not be taking DNA, which contains highly personal information, from people merely upon suspicion they've done something wrong," said Larry Frankel, state legislative counsel for the American Civil Liberties Union in Washington, D.C. "This completely reverses the notion someone is innocent until proven guilty."

Until now, the practice was limited to people convicted of felonies or certain violent misdemeanors ...

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[superconnected]

1. Pretty soon it will be mandatory dna collection for all people that come in contact with the police

And then mandatory just to be a citizen.

One side of me says yes, great idea - catch the criminals. The other side says it will be abused - the wrong person framed.

I also don't like the government encroaching closer and closer to where we have lost even the illusion that we were free. Wiretaps, the patriot act etc. Ultimately, I don't think this is really about solving crime so much as the gov making sure they can suppress dissenters.

[liberalhistorian]

2. I refuse to give my DNA if I've done nothing wrong, period.

I don't care who in the government orders it and I don't care if it becomes mandatory for citizenship (I don't think that will happen anytime soon, but you really never do know).

As for immigrants, things are only going to get worse for them as the economy gets worse and worse, especially given the state of the job market. People are going to take out their frustrations on them even more and use them as a scapegoat even more than they're doing now, facts and reason and humanitarian compassion be damned. Not to mention how the jobs are going to almost totally dry up. Frankly, I do think jobs should go to Americans first. I'm sorry if that sounds xenophobic, but right now too many Americans are out of work for companies to be hiring immigrants.