Pressley Also Condemns GOP Inhumane Treatment of Immigrant Children

“This administration is turning childhood trauma into a permanent record. Republicans on this committee claim to be focused on protecting children, yet ignore actual threats to their safety.”

Video (YouTube)

WASHINGTON – In a House Oversight Federal Law Enforcement Subcommittee hearing, Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley (MA-07) condemned Trump’s DHS policy to steal the DNA of immigrants – including children as young as four years old – and handing it over to an FBI criminal database to surveil them like suspects in waiting.

In her remarks, Rep. Pressley made clear that the stealing of children’s genetic information is a direct violation of their civil rights and civil liberties and slammed Trump and Republicans for traumatizing children while claiming to protect them.

A full transcript of her remarks as delivered is available below, and the full video is available here.

Transcript: Pressley Slams DHS Stealing Immigrants’ DNA and Giving it to FBI Criminal Database

House of Representatives

July 23, 2025

REP. PRESSLEY: Thank you. First, let me begin by saying this: Republicans, you sound absolutely absurd. Stop calling children “aliens.” This intentional – I mean, the cruelty is the point – this intentional, dehumanizing, and persistent persecution through your rhetoric is shameful. 

You are literally attacking children. I cannot take seriously anyone who’s using othering language to bully babies and toddlers. 

Republicans don’t want us to see the humanity of immigrants. That’s why they like saying “aliens” and even put it in the title of the hearing. And that inhumane approach is consistent with the actions of the Department of Homeland Security. 

Dr. Cuffari, have you heard about the DHS policy of collecting the DNA of children and storing it into the FBI criminal database? Yes or no?

DR. CUFFARI: I believe there is not a policy to do children.

REP. PRESSLEY: There absolutely is. Mr. Chair, I ask unanimous consent to enter into the record this report from July 2025, titled ‘Rating the Genome: How the United States Government is Abusing its Immigration Powers to Amass DNA for Future Policing.’

CHAIR HIGGINS: Without objection.

REP. PRESSLEY: This policy began under Donald Trump. In his first term, he authorized DHS to begin mass DNA data collection from immigrants – including children – and hand that data over to an FBI database designed to track violent offenders. 

Now that he’s back, Trump is taking this policy to new extremes, adding more than a quarter million people to the database in just four months. A quarter million people, okay, in four months. 

This committee recently held a hearing on genetic data, and there was bipartisan agreement that DNA is highly sensitive and its misuse is a violation of people’s rights, because children as young as four years old could not possibly consent to DNA collection.

So I want to know what your office is doing about it, Dr. Cuffari- 

DR. CUFFARI: We actually wrote a report –

REP. PRESSLEY: One moment, let me ask the question.

DR. CUFFARI: Certainly.

REP. PRESSLEY: Is it the responsibility of your office to investigate abuses of civil rights and civil liberties? Yes or no?

DR. CUFFARI: Yes.

REP. PRESSLEY: Has your office ever investigated concerns about DHS agents stealing genetic information from children and uploading it to the FBI criminal database?

DR. CUFFARI: Not to my knowledge, during my tenure.

REP. PRESSLEY: Well, for an Inspector General worthy of the title, it should be a priority investigation. Do you agree?

DR. CUFFARI: I agree that we did a report –

REP. PRESSLEY: Thank you.

DR. CUFFARI: Thank you.

REP. PRESSLEY: You agree? 

DR. CUFFARI: I agree –

REP. PRESSLEY: There should be a priority investigation?

DR. CUFFARI: – On the matter you’re discussing.

REP. PRESSLEY: For the record, I want to be clear. Do you agree this should be a priority investigation by your office to look into agents stealing genetic information from children and uploading it to the FBI criminal database – yes or no? Yes or no?

DR. CUFFARI: We have done the report –

REP. PRESSLEY: Let me just this –

DR. CUFFARI: We have done the report you’re mentioning –

REP. PRESSLEY: Let me just say this – your office, according to Title Five of the US Code, Chapter Four, Section 417 – this is the responsibility you are charged with, to investigate abuses of civil rights and civil liberties. 

Children as young as four years old have not consented to the collection of their DNA. That is a violation of their civil rights and civil liberties. 

So this is not a trick question. Do you believe, given the charge and jurisdiction of your office, that this should be a priority investigation, as their rights have been violated?

DR. CUFFARI: Unless the adult consented on the child –

REP. PRESSLEY: Yes or no? Yes or no, Dr. Cuffari?

DR. CUFFARI: We just got done writing a report.

REP. PRESSLEY: On what?

DR. CUFFARI: On the DNA collection within the Department of Homeland Security.

REP. PRESSLEY: I thought you said you weren’t even aware that it was a policy. I’m very confused.

DR. CUFFARI: There’s not a policy.

REP. PRESSLEY: Dr. Cuffari, I’m not going to, you know, play these games here – because we’re talking about children, so I don’t want to circle the drain. 

But this should be a priority investigation, because we have children whose civil rights have been violated with the collection of their DNA. 

This administration is turning childhood trauma into a permanent record. 

Republicans on this committee, you claim to be focused on protecting children, yet you’re ignoring actual threats to their safety. 

You traumatize children with the threat of disappearing their parents. You traumatize children by disappearing their parents. You traumatize children by conducting their DNA without their consent and criminalizing them. You traumatize children by denying them food when they’re hungry. You traumatize children by denying them essential health care, which is their human right. 

You traumatize them so much that they’re afraid to show up to school, afraid to show up to church, afraid to go to doctor’s appointments. 

Mr. Chair, I ask unanimous consent to enter into the record this July 2025 article from the Boston Globe, titled, ‘I Want Daddy: As ICE Detains Parents and Children –

CHAIR HIGGINS: Without objection and the gentlelady’s time has expired. 

REP. PRESSLEY: Stop using children as pawns. This is the real child abuse.

Thank you, I yield.

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