Event Description
DNA testing has long been used by US immigration agencies to verify family relationships and genetic tests are also being used to reunify families in humanitarian crises. In the last few years, however, the collection, testing and uses of DNA in the immigration context has been expanded exponentially in the US, and has been estimated to include DNA from approximately 2,000 US citizens.. This genetic information is now deposited in the FBI’s Combined DNA Index System (CODIS) database, which was originally established to solve violent crimes. The Privacy Center at the Georgetown Law School determined that, as of December, 2025, the number of these samples indexed in CODIS exceeded 3.3 million. This event will lay out the current state of DNA testing of immigrant communities in the US, and the ethical, legal, and social implications of the government’s expanded genetic surveillance capabilities for immigrants and citizens alike.
Event Information:
Free and open to the public; registration required. For more information, please visit the event webpage.
Hosted by the Center for ELSI Resources and Analysis at Columbia University.
