If approved, Georgia would join a small group of states that single out immigrants believed to be in the country illegally for DNA collection.
A proposal moving through the Georgia legislature could expand when DNA is collected in the justice system, targeting some immigrants accused of lower-level offenses. For decades, DNA collection has been standard for people convicted of crimes in the United States, and many states also collect it from those arrested for serious charges.
ATLANTA, GEORGIA - MARCH 23: Atlanta Police Department officers look on as travelers stand in long lines at Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport on March 23, 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia.The travel disruptions continue as hundreds of TSA agents quit or work without pay during a partial government shutdown. U.S. President Donald Trump said ICE agents will be deployed to U.S. airports on Monday, with border czar Tom Homan in charge of the effort.It would require DNA samples from people charged with misdemeanors or felonies if federal immigration authorities request they be held, even if those individuals are not ultimately deported. If approved, Georgia would join a small group of states that single out immigrants believed to be in the country illegally for DNA collection. Florida enacted a similar law in 2023, and Oklahoma authorized one in 2009, though its use depends on funding. ATLANTA, GEORGIA - MARCH 23: Ice agents look on as travelers stand in long lines at Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport on March 23, 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia. The travel disruptions continue as hundreds of TSA agents quit or work without pay during a partial government shutdown. U.S. President Donald Trump said ICE agents will be deployed to U.S. airports on Monday, with border czar Tom Homan in charge of the effort. The proposal comes as the Trump administration seeks to expand the use of DNA and other biometric tools in immigration enforcement as part of a broader push to deport millions of people. “It is one example of something we are seeing across the landscape, which is government actors at all levels vacuuming up DNA in all available contexts,” said Stevie Glaberson, director of research and advocacy at the Center on Privacy and Technology at Georgetown University law school. The FBI created the National DNA Index System in 1998, building a database that now includes more than 26 million DNA profiles, many from people convicted of crimes. Federal immigration agents are seen at the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, Monday, March 23, 2026, in Atlanta. A federal law passed about 20 years ago allowed DNA collection from people who are arrested and from noncitizens held under federal authority. But exceptions limited how often immigrants were included. That changed in 2020, when a Justice Department rule reduced that discretion. In the years since, the Department of Homeland Security has added more than 2.6 million DNA profiles from detainees to the national database, according to an analysis by the Center on Privacy and Technology. Federal officials have also proposed expanding DNA collection further, including in cases used to verify family relationships in immigration benefit applications. At the state level, DNA collection is typically limited to more serious cases. An Associated Press analysis found only 10 states collect DNA for certain misdemeanor arrests, such as sex offenses, and none do so for all misdemeanor charges. The Georgia proposal would require collection if U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement issues a detainer request and does not take custody of the person within 48 hours.“Technology is changing quickly, and DNA is one of those things that help us tremendously when we’re trying to make sure to bring justice to victims in this state and across this country,” Bearden said at a March hearing. ATLANTA, GEORGIA - MARCH 23: Officers look on as travelers stand in long lines at Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport on March 23, 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia.The travel disruptions continue as hundreds of TSA agents quit or work without pay during a partial government shutdown. U.S. President Donald Trump said ICE agents will be deployed to U.S. airports on Monday, with border czar Tom Homan in charge of the effort. The Department of Homeland Security said in a statement that “partnerships with law enforcement are critical to having the resources we need to arrest criminal illegal aliens across the country.”Traffic offenses that are treated as civil issues in some states are misdemeanors in Georgia, which could bring them under the law, said Mazie Lynn Guertin, executive director and policy advocate with the Georgia Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers. “We don’t think that swabbing a person who’s committed a traffic violation is a boon for public safety,” Guertin said. “The correlation between a broken tail light and a crime that’s solvable with DNA is pretty attenuated in most cases.”“What this really does is it creates a two-tiered system where some of the DNA would be collected based off of the perception of an individual’s immigration status,” said Kyle Gomez-Leineweber, director of policy for Common Cause Georgia. The U.S. Supreme Court has upheld DNA collection for people charged with serious crimes, ruling in 2013 that it can be constitutional under certain conditions. But some advocates question whether that standard applies to immigration detainers, which are civil in nature. “There doesn’t appear to be any kind of meaningful justification for states to step in to require the collection of DNA -- of genetic material -- from noncitizens in their custody who have merely been accused of a crime, even a low-level crime," said Jorge Loweree, managing director of the American Immigration Council. “It seems like this is just an effort to increase the surveillance of noncitizens.”Woman who accused PA restaurant workers of rape apologized days before charges: police A Harrisburg woman who accused restaurant employees of raping her is now charged with allegedly making false reports to law enforcement.A man reportedly lashed out at a Wendy's drive-thru sign after an issue with his food order, according to police.A Hanover man is facing second-degree murder and child abuse charges in the 2025 death of a 3-year-old child in Maryland.On March 26, the child was hospitalizedPistol whipping leads to accidental discharge in York: police
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
DNA test connects Jacksonville family to WWII POW missing for over 80 yearsA World War II Navy sailor is finally being laid to rest after being considered missing in action for more than 80 years. Modern technology and DNA testing made it possible — and his only known family members are right here in Jacksonville.
Read more »
Georgia proposal could take DNA swabs from immigrants in custody for minor offensesATLANTA (AP) — Over the past three decades, the collection of DNA from convicted criminals has become standard in the U.S. justice system, and many states now
Read more »
Georgia bill could take DNA from immigrants for minor offensesA proposal in Georgia could allow DNA to be collected from immigrants taken into custody for minor offenses. The bill awaiting a final vote in the state legislature would make Georgia the third state to single out immigrants believed to be in the U.S. illegally for the collection of genetic materials that wouldn't be taken from others.
Read more »
Georgia proposal could take DNA swabs from immigrants in custody for minor offensesA proposal in Georgia could allow DNA to be collected from immigrants taken into custody for minor offenses.
Read more »
Georgia proposal could take DNA swabs from immigrants in custody for minor offensesA proposal in Georgia could allow DNA to be collected from immigrants taken into custody for minor offenses.
Read more »
Georgia proposal could take DNA swabs from immigrants in custody for minor offensesA proposal in Georgia could allow DNA to be collected from immigrants taken into custody for minor offenses.
Read more »