Latest news with #HiltonBeckham
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
US immigration authorities collecting DNA information of children in criminal database
US immigration authorities are collecting and uploading the DNA information of migrants, including children, to a national criminal database, according to government documents released earlier this month. The database includes the DNA of people who were either arrested or convicted of a crime, which law enforcement uses when seeking a match for DNA collected at a crime scene. However, most of the people whose DNA has been collected by Customs and Border Patrol (CBP), the agency that published the documents, were not listed as having been accused of any felonies. Regardless, CBP is now creating a detailed DNA profile on migrants that will be permanently searchable by law enforcement, which amounts to a 'massive expansion of genetic surveillance', one expert said. The DNA information is stored in a database managed by the FBI called the Combined DNA Index System (Codis), which is used across the country by local, state and federal law enforcement to identify suspects of crimes using their DNA data. Related: Doge gained access to sensitive data of migrant children, including reports of abuse Wired first reported the practice and the existence of these documents, and estimates there are more than 133,000 migrant teens and children whose DNA has been collected and uploaded to Codis. One of them was just four years old. 'In order to secure our borders, CBP is devoting every resource available to identify who is entering our country. We are not letting human smugglers, child sex traffickers and other criminals enter American communities,' Hilton Beckham, the assistant commissioner of public affairs at CBP, told Wired in a statement. 'Toward this end, CBP collects DNA samples for submission to the FBI's Combined DNA Index System … from persons in CBP custody who are arrested on federal criminal charges, and from aliens detained under CBP's authority who are subject to fingerprinting and not otherwise exempt from the collection requirement.' Experts at Georgetown University and the Center on Privacy and Technology published a report last week that found that CBP was collecting the DNA of almost every migrant detained, regardless of how long they were detained. The agency has added more than 1.5m DNA profiles to Codis since 2020, a 5,000% increase in just three years, according to the report. It's a 'massive expansion of genetic surveillance and an unjustified invasion of privacy,' according to one of the authors of the report, Emerald Tse. 'The program reinforces harmful narratives about immigrants and intensifies existing policing practices that target immigrant communities and communities of color, making us all less safe,' Tse said in a statement. The documents CBP published, which detail each individual whose DNA was swabbed, their age and country of origin, where they were transferred to, and what they were charged with, date back to as early as 2020. The latest document published is from the first quarter of 2025. There are hundreds of thousands of entries of people whose DNA has been collected by CBP between 2020 and 2024. Of the more than 130,000 individuals who were children or teens, nearly 230 were children under the age of 13 and more than 30,000 were between 14 and 17 years old, according to Wired. CBP first launched a pilot program to begin collecting detainees' DNA data in 2020, in accordance with a Department of Justice rule that gave the agency three years to comply with a new requirement to collect genetic samples and upload it to Codis. At the time, CBP wrote that it was collecting DNA data from non-US citizens who had been detained between the ages of 14 and 79. The Department of Homeland Security and CBP policy generally states that children under 14 are not obliged to have their DNA information collected, though there is some discretion afforded to field officers. However, this pace of genetic data collection would not have been possible in a criminal legal context, according to the Center on Privacy and Technology and Georgetown report. 'Until 2020, almost all the DNA profiles in Codis's 'offender' database were added by state and local police and other criminal law enforcement agencies,' the report reads. 'In the criminal context, there are some limitations on when, how and from whom criminal law enforcement agencies can take DNA which make the process of amassing samples cumbersome and resource-intensive.' Related: Undocumented man accused of making threat to Trump's life may be victim of frame-up The expansion was possible partly because there are fewer limitations on DNA collection within the context of immigration. 'In the immigration context, the only limitation on DNA collection is that a person must be 'detained'. But the meaning of the term 'detained' in the immigration context is notoriously broad, vague and ever shifting,' the report reads. According to the CBP website, the agency sends the DNA data directly to the FBI and does not store or maintain the DNA data itself. That genetic information is stored by the FBI indefinitely, according to the Center on Privacy and Technology and Georgetown report. 'How would it change your behavior to know that the government had a drop of your blood – or saliva – containing your 'entire genetic code, which will be kept indefinitely in a government-controlled refrigerator in a warehouse in Northern Virginia'?' the report reads, quoting CBP's documents. 'Would you feel free to seek out the medical or reproductive care you needed? To attend protests and voice dissent? To gather together with the people of your choosing?'
The Guardian
3 days ago
- Health
- The Guardian
US immigration authorities collecting DNA information of children in criminal database
US immigration authorities are collecting and uploading the DNA information of migrants, including children, to a national criminal database, according to government documents released earlier this month. The database includes the DNA of people who were either arrested or convicted of a crime, which law enforcement uses when seeking a match for DNA collected at a crime scene. However, most of the people whose DNA has been collected by Customs and Border Patrol (CBP), the agency that published the documents, were not listed as having been accused of any felonies. Regardless, CBP is now creating a detailed DNA profile on migrants that will be permanently searchable by law enforcement, which amounts to a 'massive expansion of genetic surveillance', one expert said. The DNA information is stored in a database managed by the FBI called the Combined DNA Index System (Codis), which is used across the country by local, state and federal law enforcement to identify suspects of crimes using their DNA data. Wired first reported the practice and the existence of these documents, and estimates there are more than 133,000 migrant teens and children whose DNA has been collected and uploaded to Codis. One of them was just four years old. 'In order to secure our borders, CBP is devoting every resource available to identify who is entering our country. We are not letting human smugglers, child sex traffickers and other criminals enter American communities,' Hilton Beckham, assistant commissioner of public affairs at CBP, told Wired in a statement. 'Toward this end, CBP collects DNA samples for submission to the FBI's Combined DNA Index System … from persons in CBP custody who are arrested on federal criminal charges, and from aliens detained under CBP's authority who are subject to fingerprinting and not otherwise exempt from the collection requirement.' Experts at Georgetown University and the Center on Privacy and Technology published a report last week that found that CBP was collecting the DNA of almost every migrant detained, regardless of how long they were detained. The agency has added more than 1.5m DNA profiles to Codis since 2020, a 5,000% increase in just three years, according to the report. It's a 'massive expansion of genetic surveillance and an unjustified invasion of privacy,' according to one of the authors of the report, Emerald Tse. 'The program reinforces harmful narratives about immigrants and intensifies existing policing practices that target immigrant communities and communities of color, making us all less safe,' Tse said in a statement. The documents CBP published, which detail each individual whose DNA was swabbed, their age and country of origin, where they were transferred to, and what they were charged with, date back to as early as 2020. The latest document published is from the first quarter of 2025. There are hundreds of thousands of entries of people whose DNA has been collected by CBP between 2020 and 2024. Of the more than 130,000 individuals who were children or teens, nearly 230 were children under the age of 13 and more than 30,000 were between 14 and 17 years old, according to Wired. CBP first launched a pilot program to begin collecting detainees' DNA data in 2020, in accordance with a Department of Justice rule that gave the agency three years to comply with a new requirement to collect genetic samples and upload it to Codis. At the time, CBP wrote that it was collecting DNA data from non-US citizens who had been detained between the ages of 14 and 79. The Department of Homeland Security and CBP policy generally states that children under 14 are not obliged to have their DNA information collected, though there is some discretion afforded to field officers. However, this pace of genetic data collection would not have been possible in a criminal legal context, according to the Center on Privacy and Technology and Georgetown report. 'Until 2020, almost all the DNA profiles in Codis's 'offender' database were added by state and local police and other criminal law enforcement agencies,' the report reads. 'In the criminal context, there are some limitations on when, how and from whom criminal law enforcement agencies can take DNA which make the process of amassing samples cumbersome and resource-intensive.' Sign up to TechScape A weekly dive in to how technology is shaping our lives after newsletter promotion The expansion was possible partly because there are fewer limitations on DNA collection within the context of immigration. 'In the immigration context, the only limitation on DNA collection is that a person must be 'detained'. But the meaning of the term 'detained' in the immigration context is notoriously broad, vague and ever shifting,' the report reads. According to the CBP website, the agency sends the DNA data directly to the FBI and does not store or maintain the DNA data itself. That genetic information is stored by the FBI indefinitely, according to the Center on Privacy and Technology and Georgetown report. 'How would it change your behavior to know that the government had a drop of your blood – or saliva – containing your 'entire genetic code, which will be kept indefinitely in a government-controlled refrigerator in a warehouse in Northern Virginia'?' the report reads, quoting CBP's documents. 'Would you feel free to seek out the medical or reproductive care you needed? To attend protests and voice dissent? To gather together with the people of your choosing?'
Jordan News
05-05-2025
- Jordan News
How to Secure Your Phone Data Before Traveling Abroad - Jordan News
As the summer travel season approaches, some travelers heading to the United States are increasingly concerned about the possibility of their phones and other electronic devices being searched by border protection officials. This concern has led some to adopt precautionary measures, including using a "temporary phone" while traveling. اضافة اعلان According to a report published by The New York Times, U.S. federal authorities have had the authority to search travelers' personal electronic devices at the border for over a decade, and these searches have noticeably increased in recent years. Just last year, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Agency reported conducting nearly 43,000 electronic device searches, compared to about 38,000 in 2023. Hilton Beckham, Deputy Commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection, explained in a statement that these searches are relatively rare, affecting less than 0.01% of travelers, and are conducted to investigate content related to smuggling, terrorism, and information related to visitor admissions. However, recent incidents have shown that phone data, such as photos of weapons or social media posts, may be grounds for some travelers being denied entry into the United States. In this context, Esha Bhandari, an attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union, expressed concern about certain groups of travelers being targeted for stricter searches, including lawyers and journalists who work to protect their sources. The report offers a set of tips for travelers to reduce the risks of their data being searched, starting with assessing the level of personal risk. If a traveler carries sensitive data or has a background that might raise suspicion, more serious precautions are advised. Tips for Travelers: Low Risk: Use a strong passcode for your phone, disable biometric measures, and delete apps that contain sensitive information, such as encrypted messaging apps and social media apps that may have controversial content. Medium Risk: Make a full backup of your phone's data, wipe the device before traveling, and restore the data after crossing the border. High Risk: Consider using a "temporary phone" — a cheap device that only carries the essential apps for the trip, along with a temporary email account for travel-related information. Some travelers, such as the journalist who wrote the report, resort to this last option to protect their sensitive data and confidential sources from any potential exposure by border officials. This may involve carrying a simple Android phone and activating a temporary eSIM upon arrival at the destination. The report emphasizes that there is no one-size-fits-all solution, and the best approach depends on the traveler's specific circumstances and the type of data they are carrying on their devices. However, caution and awareness of the potential risks remain crucial for all travelers to the United States.
Indian Express
03-05-2025
- Indian Express
How to secure your phone's data before traveling abroad
When I travel to Asia this summer, I plan to leave my iPhone at home. Instead, I'll pack a different phone lacking my staple apps, like Instagram, Slack and Signal. It won't even be logged in to my work email. No, I'm not planning a digital detox. I'm choosing to travel with what's known as a burner phone because my personal device contains sensitive data that I don't want others, particularly US border protection officers, to search. For over a decade, the federal government has had the authority to conduct border searches of travelers' personal electronics, including phones, laptops and tablets. In recent years, such inspections have steadily increased, though they happen to only a small portion of people entering the United States. Last year, the US Customs and Border Protection agency reported that it had conducted roughly 43,000 electronics searches, up from about 38,000 in 2023. To be clear, I may be particularly paranoid as a journalist who is constantly working to protect confidential sources from being outed, so a burner phone is an extreme measure that most people won't find practical or even necessary. Hilton Beckham, assistant commissioner of Customs and Border Protection, said in a statement that less than 0.01% of travelers have their devices searched. These searches, she said, are conducted to look for content related to contraband, terrorism and information related to visitor admissibility. But in recent incidents, travelers have been denied entry into the United States in part because of phone data, such as photos of guns and social media posts about protests. 'The bigger concern is that the government can single out people it wants to search,' said Esha Bhandari, a lawyer with the American Civil Liberties Union. 'We've seen anecdotal evidence of more aggressive searches on the border, including lawyers who have attorney-client privileges and people seen as dissidents.' In other words, while no rules have changed when it comes to entering the United States, a shift in how frequently the policies are enforced may be underway. Vacationers and business travelers alike should be judicious about the data they carry on their devices. There's no one-size-fits-all solution, and the approach that works best for you depends on your lifestyle and profession. Here's what to do. Assess your risk First consider who you are, what you do for work and what's on your phone, laptop or tablet, said Jeremiah Grossman, a cybersecurity expert. If, for instance, you're a retired US citizen carrying some vacation photos and text conversations with friends from your book club on your device, you probably don't have to worry. But if you're a student on a visa who has been involved in government protests, there may be media on your phone that could create issues. 'If law enforcement had everything on your phone and access to everything, would that be bad for you?' Grossman said. From there, assess whether your risk is high or low and pick an approach. Low risk: Use a passcode, and delete some apps If you're only mildly concerned about your data being searched, start with turning off biometrics such as fingerprint and face recognition sensors. Instead, rely only on a passcode for unlocking your device. To turn off Face ID on an iPhone, open the settings app, tap Face ID & Passcode, enter your passcode and toggle off the switch for iPhone Unlock. For Android phones, the steps depend on the model, but generally in the settings app you can type a search for the Face & Fingerprint Unlock menu and disable the settings there. Using only a passcode can be an effective measure for U.S. citizens because it is legally more difficult for the government to compel you to share a passcode than it is for an officer to take your phone and hold it up to your face to unlock it, Bhandari said. But while citizens can decline to provide a passcode, visa holders and tourists visiting the United States run the risk of being denied entry if they refuse to comply, Bhandari added. So it's best to also take the extra step of deleting any apps containing information that could become problematic, such as Instagram, Signal or X. Medium risk: Back up and purge your data If you think there's a modest possibility that the government could search your phone, consider backing up a copy of all your data and purging your device before returning to the United States, Grossman said. To make this process simpler, you can back up your data to an online server, such as Apple 's iCloud for iPhones or Google One for Android devices. That way, you can later restore your data over the internet by entering your account credentials. To back up your data on an iPhone to iCloud, open the settings app, tap your name, tap iCloud and select iCloud Backup. Switch on Back Up This iPhone and tap Back Up Now. Then, to purge your iPhone data, in the settings app go to the General menu, tap Transfer or Reset iPhone, tap Erase All Content and Settings and follow the steps. To back up your data on an Android device to Google One, open the settings app, tap Google, then tap Backup. To purge your Android data, the steps depend on your phone model, but generally you can do a search for the Factory Reset menu in the settings app. After you cross the border with the wiped device, you will see an option to restore the device from a backup when you go to set it up, at which point you can enter your account credentials to get your data back. (Just make sure to have your password written down somewhere.) High risk: Carry a burner phone If you think it's very likely that U.S. border officials will want to look at your phone, the most robust solution is to leave your personal devices at home and carry a burner phone used exclusively for travel. Here's how I plan to do it. — I'll carry a cheap Android phone with only the software necessary for my trip, including ride-hailing and maps apps. — I'll log in to one email account I created exclusively for travel to retrieve itineraries and other trip-related information. — When I land, I'll connect to a temporary cellular plan on a foreign network using an eSIM, a digitized version of a SIM card, which can be activated through an app such as Nomad, Airalo or GigSky. (I wrote a guide to using eSIM technology in a previous column.) Then, when I return home, I'll copy all my vacation photos from the vacation phone to my iPhone and put the burner in a drawer until my next trip.
WIRED
13-04-2025
- Politics
- WIRED
Homeland Security Email Tells a US Citizen to 'Immediately' Self-Deport
Apr 12, 2025 9:35 PM An email sent by the Department of Homeland Security instructs people in the US on a temporary legal status to leave the country. But who the email actually applies to—and who actually received it—is far from clear. The front entrance to the US Customs and Border Protection headquarters. Photograph: United States Department of Homeland Security sent an email this week informing people living in the US on a temporary legal status that their "parole" has been revoked and instructed them to leave the country "immediately." However, the email was also addressed to at least one US citizen, an immigration attorney from Massachusetts. And it remains unclear who must abide by the email's instructions—or why the apparent revocation of legal immigration status was delivered via email at all. The email informs the recipient that 'DHS is now exercising its discretion to terminate your parole,' which it says will go into effect '7 days from the date of this notice.' The email appears to be similar, if not identical, to messages received by users of CBP One, an app developed during the Biden administration that allows non-citizens from certain countries to schedule appointments at US points of entry in an effort to seek asylum. A spokesperson for US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) tells WIRED, however, that the email was sent more broadly. 'CBP has issued notices terminating parole for individuals who do not have lawful status to remain,' says CBP assistant commissioner for public affairs Hilton Beckham. 'This process is not limited to CBP One users and does not currently apply to those paroled under programs such as U4U and OAW.' U4U refers to Uniting for Ukraine, a program launched under the Biden administration to allow for expedited immigration to the US for Ukrainians fleeing Russia's war against its neighboring country. Former President Joe Biden began OAW, or Operation Allies Welcome, in 2021 following the US military's exit from Afghanistan to allow for the safe resettling of 'vulnerable Afghans, including those who worked alongside us in Afghanistan for the past two decades,' according to DHS. The email itself does not identify these or any other exemptions, nor does it make clear to whom it applies beyond the recipient. Beckham also confirmed that the email was sent to whatever email address the agency had associated with the intended target, leading to confusion for at least one immigration attorney. 'Some personal news: the Department of Homeland Security has given me, an immigration lawyer born in Newton, Massachusetts, seven days to leave the US,' wrote Nicole Micheroni, a partner at Cameron Micheroni & Silvia LLC, in a post on Bluesky on Friday night. 'Does anyone know if you can get Italian citizenship through great-grandparents?' Micheroni tells WIRED that she first thought the email was intended for one of her clients, but she quickly noticed that it was only addressed to her. 'I don't feel like I'm actually going to be deported in seven days, but it's concerning that this is the level of care they're using to send these out,' Micheroni says. She adds that it's possible that the DHS email was 'intended for one of my clients or somebody else,' as it's not uncommon for immigrants in the US to list their attorneys as the point of contact The Trump administration has sought to revoke the parole of some 532,000 Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans, and Venezuelans who entered the US under a Biden-era humanitarian parole program. While it moved to subject them to expedited deportation effective April 24, on Thursday a federal judge in Boston said she would issue a protective order blocking that attempt. The order may complicate the instructions in the email, which stipulates that it does not apply to people who 'have otherwise obtained a lawful basis to remain' in the US. CBP's Beckham did not immediately respond to WIRED's questions about whether the court order would impact any recipients of the email. Attorney Lauren Regan, founder and executive director of the nonprofit Civil Liberties Defense Center, tells WIRED that the lack of clarity about whether the revocation of temporary parole applies to the recipient of the email is likely causing fear and confusion among many immigrants, especially those without access to adequate legal guidance. 'So many people don't have a lawyer, or their lawyer has 6,000 clients,' Regan says, which 'completely overloads' the attorneys who often provide pro bono legal services to immigrants. 'A lot of people that are here on parole status don't know the nuances of immigration law, so they get this email and they don't know if it applies to them,' Micheroni says. 'And most of them assume that it does because everything is really scary for people right now.' It's also unclear whether the email is related to recent efforts by Elon Musk's so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). In an April 10 post on X, DOGE claimed that 'CBP identified a subset of 6.3k individuals paroled into the United States since 2023 on the FBI's Terrorist Screening Center watchlist or with criminal records. These paroles have since been terminated with immediate effect.' Beckham did not immediately respond to questions about whether the email was intended for these 6,300 individuals, nor did she answer WIRED's questions about how many people received the email. Then there's the matter of the email being an email at all, Regan says, adding that 'it is absolutely not common' for a change in legal immigration status to arrive via email, which typically happens in person or via certified mail. 'People would think it's a phishing email or something not legitimate,' Regan says. Also, the fact that the email does not appear to have been first posted on a government website added to questions about its authenticity. 'Normally if the government is going to change a practice, they would first do it on their websites,' Regan says, adding, 'but the fact that this was not on the website first and then sent out as a direct communication is very, very unusual.' Regan also notes that many immigrants do not have email addresses, and therefore couldn't receive the communication in the first place. Even for Micheroni, a US citizen and immigration attorney, the Trump administration's aggressive immigration enforcement practices have made life less stable. The email only made matters worse. 'I have gotten some serious inquiries from my parents or other family members or friends being like, 'what do I do if you stop answering me or if you disappear? Like, who do you want me to call?'' she says. 'And if people in my life are feeling this way, and this is what I do, I know a lot about it,' Micheroni adds. 'I can't imagine what it's like for people that don't fully understand immigration law.'
