Internal documents reveal a dramatic surge in ICE's DNA collection during the second Trump administration. Hundreds of thousands of people never convicted of a crime now have their genetic data stored forever in an FBI criminal database.

Key Takeaways

  • ICE added roughly 920,000 new DNA profiles in 2025, shattering previous records.
  • The majority of those profiled have no criminal convictions.
  • These profiles are stored indefinitely in the FBI's CODIS system.

The Hugo Moreno‑Mendez Incident

Hugo Moreno‑Mendez arrived at the McLennan County Probation Department on March 13, 2025, expecting a routine check‑in. Instead, ICE officers were waiting, arrested him, and drove him to a nearby ICE field office where multiple officers repeatedly tried to swab his cheek for DNA, all of which he refused.

Four days later he was charged with failing to register as a non‑citizen and refusing to provide DNA while in federal custody—an offense ICE itself had never previously prosecuted. A magistrate later found him guilty on both counts and sentenced him to time served.

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Explosion of DNA Collection

Georgetown Law’s Center on Privacy and Technology estimates that ICE alone may have contributed as many as 920,000 new genetic profiles to the national criminal DNA system in 2025, making it the single largest source of fresh CODIS entries.

Most of the individuals in ICE custody have no criminal record; their immigration status is a civil, not criminal, violation. Once a DNA profile enters CODIS, law‑enforcement agencies nationwide can compare it against evidence from unsolved crimes, even decades later. The physical sample—containing an entire genome—remains in a federal lab indefinitely.

Impact on Families and Children

Reports show that children in family detention centers, such as the one in Dilley, Texas, have also been swabbed, despite having no convictions. Congressional members warned that “these families do not belong in a database meant for violent criminals, especially children.”

The Department of Homeland Security defends the program as a border‑security and identification measure, but Georgetown’s estimate suggests ICE may have added roughly 919,908 new profiles to CODIS in 2025 alone.

Historical Background

DNA collection policy began with a 2005 congressional law authorizing federal agencies to collect DNA from anyone arrested, charged, convicted, or detained under federal authority. In 2020, the Justice Department eliminated the exemption that had previously shielded many immigration detainees, and ICE issued Directive 10092.1 mandating DNA collection.

Why This Matters

BozokMedia analysis shows that the unprecedented scale of ICE’s DNA collection transforms a tool meant for violent criminals into a sweeping surveillance mechanism that blankets millions of non‑criminal immigrants, raising profound civil‑rights and privacy concerns.

DNA databases become de facto surveillance tools when used on non‑criminal populations.
Did You Know?: The 2005 law originally limited DNA collection to criminal cases, but regulatory changes in 2020 expanded it to civil immigration detentions.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q1: How does ICE collect DNA?

A: Officers take a cheek swab or collect a blood sample during fingerprinting, then submit the profile to the FBI’s CODIS.

Q2: Can individuals with no criminal record have their DNA removed?

A: Currently there is no clear legal pathway for non‑criminal detainees to have their DNA expunged from CODIS, a point of ongoing legal debate.