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UK immigration cancels DNA screening programme

UK_Border,_Heathrow.jpgThe UK Border Agency (UKBA) has ended a controversial DNA screening programme to determine the origins of asylum-seekers. The Times reports that the pilot project has been cancelled after spending approximately £190,000 (US$307,000) on screening. No genetic information will be released.

The Human Provenance Pilot Project, as it was known, began in September of 2009 with the intention of distinguishing Somali asylum seekers from immigrants from other African nations such as Kenya. The programme attempted to identify nationality using a combination of mitochondrial DNA, Y chromosome testing, and analyses of Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNPs), single letter variations in the genetic code that can correlate to ethnic origins. It also planned to use isotopic analysis of hair and fingernails to trace where individuals had lived more recently.

Right from the start, geneticists were deeply sceptical of the project. Genetic research into ethnic origins is still relatively new, and techniques are far too primitive to nail down a person’s background with any precision. More importantly, the idea that DNA would conform to national boundaries is completely nuts. Amid fears that the pilot could erode trust and undercut legitimate genetic studies of African populations, many researchers cried foul. In an editorial, Nature called for the scheme’s immediate cancellation.

Following the criticism, the programme was under review, but it now appears that it has come to an end. Here’s the government’s terse final word on the matter:

“The UK Border Agency does not plan to take forward DNA/Isotope testing for country of origin identification purposes, consequently a decision was taken to suspend the internal review.”

Image: Wikipedia

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    Francis Ogbonnaya said:

    I have just read this for the first time and wondering what the reasons were for the special attention to Somalis versus the rest of Africa. To be better informed, where is the UK border agency coming from – what informed this policy approach please? Notwithstanding the merits of the intents, it is crucial that any policy approach withstand the test of time.

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