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Canadian allegedly told to provide DNA at Michigan border or face arrest
PORT HURON, MI - U.S. Rep Debbie Dingell, D-Ann Arbor, is demanding answers after a Canadian national was forced to provide a DNA sample under threat of going to jail when he tried to cross the border to attend a ‘No Kings’ rally.
Kevin Larson, 68, a retired nuclear health physicist, was stopped in October and detained by U.S. Customs and Border Protection for three hours after he said he would attend a peaceful protest in Michigan.
He complied with DNA collection out of fear for his safety and was released without criminal charges.
Dingell and Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., the ranking member of the House Judiciary Committee, sought answers from the Trump Administration.
The lawmakers said they were “deeply troubled that Mr. Larson may have been denied entry based solely on intended expressive activity that is constitutionally protected - for both citizens and visitors - and then subjected to invasive biometric collection without clear legal justification.
“We request clarity to better understand the grounds CBP officers had to detain Mr. Larson and compel a DNA sample under threat of prosecution. CBP’s own guidance states that DNA is not collected from individuals held at a port of entry during admissibility determinations who are not subject to further detention or proceedings,” they wrote.
The incident happened Oct. 18, when Larson tried to enter at the Blue Water Bridge near Sarnia, Ontario, CBC Television reported.
He thought he might get turned away.
“I have been very concerned with the Trump administration calling us the 51st state,” Larson told CBC. “We have been allies for generations and friends, and he’s just throwing it out the window.”
He said he was threatened with criminal charges if he did not provide a DNA sample.
In a statement CBP, without identifying Larson by name, said a 68-year-old Canadian citizen arrived at the Blue Water Bridge on Oct. 18, CBC reported.
“In secondary inspection, the alien gave inconsistent answers for his reason for traveling to the U.S. He was deemed inadmissible and allowed to withdraw his application for admission, and allowed to voluntarily depart the U.S.
“A DNA sample was collected in accordance with the law – DNA Fingerprint Act of 2005 — due to this immigration violation.”