Aggregated News
San Bernardino County District Attorney Michael A. Ramos goes too far - too deep into Orwellian territory -- in proposing that undocumented immigrants be required to submit DNA samples as a condition of staying in the United States.
Ramos is a good prosecutor and district attorney, respected enough by his peers to be a past president of the California District Attorneys Association and a current board member of the National District Attorneys Association. He is a staunch defender of victims' rights and works hard on gang suppression.
He views the collection of DNA as a tool that is available to law enforcement, and so should be used to catch bad guys. That's his job.
From a societal standpoint, it's a bad idea.
Ramos said collecting DNA from immigrants would not be much different from legal requirements for law enforcement officers to be fingerprinted, but there's a huge difference. Fingerprints simply identify a person; DNA not only identifies him but reveals his complete genetic profile, including susceptibilities to disease.
Who knows what else DNA will reveal under future technologies? It could...
Ramos is a good prosecutor and district attorney, respected enough by his peers to be a past president of the California District Attorneys Association and a current board member of the National District Attorneys Association. He is a staunch defender of victims' rights and works hard on gang suppression.
He views the collection of DNA as a tool that is available to law enforcement, and so should be used to catch bad guys. That's his job.
From a societal standpoint, it's a bad idea.
Ramos said collecting DNA from immigrants would not be much different from legal requirements for law enforcement officers to be fingerprinted, but there's a huge difference. Fingerprints simply identify a person; DNA not only identifies him but reveals his complete genetic profile, including susceptibilities to disease.
Who knows what else DNA will reveal under future technologies? It could...
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