January 1, Homeland Security Plans Costly DNA Expansion

Wyatt’s Take

• Homeland Security wants more power to collect fingerprints, DNA, and scans.
• This billion-dollar plan means millions more people get screened.
• Even citizens helping family could face these new tests.

The Department of Homeland Security wants to spend billions collecting fingerprints, DNA, facial, and eye scans from more people in the immigration process. This major change would expand screening to over 3 million people each year.

The new system could cost almost $289 million a year for the next decade. Any person filing for immigration benefits, including those helping family come to America, may be scanned, including citizens and lawful permanent residents.

Right now, only some immigration forms require biometrics. The proposal gives the government power to take biometric data from anyone involved in the process, and even from people arrested and facing deportation.

DHS says this plan would catch people who lie or cheat to get in, claiming, “Exclusive reliance on biographic data may result in errors, misidentification of individuals, and the potential that immigration benefits may be granted to ineligible or incorrect individuals or imposters.” The agency also says more DNA tests would stop trafficking and labor abuse, and confirm if families are really related for visa requests.

The new rule ties ‘good moral character’ to these tests and allows people to submit comments on it through January 2.

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Wyatt Matters

This move puts regular families under the microscope just for trying to bring loved ones here. Small towns and working people worry about both rising costs and government overreach. Protecting our borders should never come at the price of our freedoms and privacy.