USA TODAY International Edition
DNA tests to reunite families a privacy concern
‘Potentially, we’re trying to solve one civil rights violation with another’
SAN FRANCISCO – Genetics testing companies are offering to help reunite families separated at the border, but it’s unclear how they would get DNA kits into the hands of migrants, and the testing itself could carry privacy dangers for migrant families.
One immigration advocacy group, RAICES Texas, warned against the practice, saying storing DNA data could put personal information at risk for vulnerable individuals seeking asylum.
“Potentially, we’re trying to solve one civil rights violation with another civil rights violation,” said Jennifer Falcon, communications director at RAICES, the beneficiary of a record $20 million Facebook fundraising campaign for immigrant children separated from their parents.
The concern followed an offering by two for-profit DNA companies to help reunite the more than 2,300 children separated from their parents or caregivers at the U.S. border under the Trump administration’s “zero tolerance” immigration policy.
The companies say genetic testing could help reconnect parents with their children. 23andme and MyHeritage offered to donate genetic testing kits and other resources as public outrage over the separations mounted.
Rep. Jackie Speier, D-Calif., told USA TODAY she texted 23andMe CEO Anne Wojcicki about her concerns that officials may have lost track of children at the border. Wojcicki offered to help.
“23andMe tests would allow the Department of Justice to match people. Right now, there’s no way to know who a parent or child is,” Speier said.
Wojcicki tweeted 23andMe’s offer. “To assist in reuniting families, we intend to offer our genetic testing services through non-profit legal aid orgs representing the families,” she wrote.
On Thursday, MyHeritage said it was pledging 5,000 free DNA kits.
MyHeritage said it has reached out to government and nonprofit agencies to assist in delivering the kits to migrants.
“The idea would be to work with the relevant organizations so, if there are parents trying to reconnect with their children, we can facilitate that process,” spokesperson Rafi Mendelsohn said.
How the tests would be distributed or which agency would do it is unclear. A Department of Homeland Security representative refused to comment on if it would consider using DNA kits.
On Saturday, the Department of Health and Human Services released a plan to reunify families, saying it has “implemented an identification mechanism to ensure on-going tracking of linked family members throughout the detention and removal process.”
23andMe’s Wojcicki acknowledged the privacy issues.
“We recognize that genetic data contains highly personal information, and we want to ensure the data is only used for reuniting families,” she said.