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DNA testing to unite immigrant families is more complicated than it seems

caption: Hands hold a DNA molecule whose bars have been formed into a cage.
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Hands hold a DNA molecule whose bars have been formed into a cage.
Flickr Photo/thierry erhmann (CC BY 2.0)/https://flic.kr/p/4i3QFK

Late last month, a federal judge in San Diego gave the Trump administration two weeks to reunite children under five with their parents, after immigration officials separated them at the border as part of a deterrence policy.

The problem? Records weren't kept, or in some cases had been destroyed. The solution, according to the administration: DNA testing of the children and their purported parents, which has many concerned about the ethical implications.

Deborah Ahrens is a Seattle University law professor who joined Bill to explain the legalities of the process. They are questionable at best, and require the government to find a way around the 4th Amendment (as well as to find a way for children to give consent). At the moment, says the professor, there are many more questions than answers.

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