DNA testing could reunite families at the US border — and fuel surveillance

More than 2,000 children have been separated from their parents at the US border as a result of the White House’s new “zero tolerance” policy, and immigration agencies seem to have no clear plan for reuniting them. In one case, a six-year-old’s ability to remember her aunt’s phone number became her only lifeline to her family. “Most children here aren’t able to give names, much less a phone number,” an official told ProPublica. With children less than a year old lost in the system, it’s become heartbreakingly difficult to simply match children to the parents that brought them.

In the midst of the crisis, consumer DNA companies are offering their services as an unlikely solution. After a nudge from a member of Congress, 23andMe has offered to donate DNA kits and other resources, using spit samples to help parents find missing children in the bureaucratic maze. MyHeritage made a similar offer, promising that the tests will be processed within the company and not shared with third parties. “We’re calling upon relevant government agencies to help us with...