National Guard to fingerprint, DNA swab immigrant detainees to help ICE

Source: USA Today

Aug. 6, 2025, 4:50 p.m. ET


WASHINGTON − National Guard troops deploying to help immigration enforcement agents in more than a dozen red states will DNA swab, fingerprint and transport detainees as part of a plan greenlit by some Republican governors for 1,700 troops to take over some at ICE offices.

The Pentagon announced on July 25 that 1,700 National Guard personnel – 1,200 already deployed plus 500 additional troops – will work on "case management, transportation and logistical support, and clerical support for the in- and out-processing" of ICE arrests.

The duties of some will also include taking DNA swabs, photographs and fingerprints of people held at ICE facilities, according to a defense official speaking on condition of anonymity. Guard troops have already started to arrive at ICE offices.

In Florida, 25 of the 200 National Guard personnel that will "backfill" nine ICE offices across the state arrived on Aug. 5, according to William Manley, a spokesperson for the Florida National Guard. "We anticipate that our Guardsmen will be performing administrative/clerical tasks, fingerprinting, DNA swabbing, photography and transportation support," Manley said.

Read more: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2025/08/06/national-guard-dna-swab-fingerprint-detainees-ice/85542936007/