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Cited by 38Migration, Refugees, and IntegrationMigration and Exile StudiesRace, Genetics, and Society

Suspect technologies: forensic testing of asylum seekers at the UK border

Open access
Tutton, Richard, Hauskeller, Christine, Sturdy, Steve·2014·Ethnic and Racial Studies
DOI 10.1080/01419870.2013.870667
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Abstract

The entanglement of border control technologies and immigration policies and practices with discourses of race, national identity and belonging has long been a focus of scholarly interest. In this paper we discuss the Human Provenance Pilot Project (HPPP), the aim of which was to evaluate the utility of genetic and isotope testing to corroborate asylum seekers' accounts of their nationality. We subject the HPPP to a detailed socio-technical analysis, highlighting how technologies, practices and modes of thought travelled from the policing context to the asylum context, illuminating the unspoken prejudices that made that transfer possible, and reflecting on implications of the HPPP for academic research, policy advice and the asylum system.

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  • If a border agency official grows suspicious of an applicant's story, s/he can request samples of saliva, nails, and hair to test for 'nationality swapping,' using isotope analyses and genetic ancestry tests.

    “If, over the course of a standard interview, a border agency official grows suspicious of an applicant's story, s/he can request samples of saliva, nails, and hair to test for”

    From Catching Our Breath: Critical Race STS and the Carceral Imagination (2016) · cites this paper as Tutton et al. 2014

    The Seeking Asylum section says UKBA officers proposed genetic ancestry and isotope tests when testimony and language analysis raised doubts about a Somali applicant’s claimed origin. The development of border control in the UK section calls the concern “nationality-swapping,” and Substituting Biology for Nationality identifies hair and fingernails for isotope testing. Our copy does not mention saliva samples, and the Introduction says this was a 2009–10 pilot that was not taken forward, rather than an ongoing option for officials. (LLM, conf=0.88)

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  • Richard Tutton and colleagues examine how biotechnologies are put to use in UK border surveillance, specifically aimed at African asylum seekers.

    “Finally, moving beyond the US context, Richard Tutton and colleagues examine how biotechnologies are put to use in UK border surveillance, specifically aimed at African asylum seekers (Tutton et al. 2014).”

    From Catching Our Breath: Critical Race STS and the Carceral Imagination (2016) · cites this paper as Tutton et al. 2014

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Research works printed but not linked: 37

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Cited by

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Authors
Tutton, R., Hauskeller, C., & Sturdy, S.
Affiliations
  • Lancaster University (GB)
  • University of Exeter (GB)
Corresponding author
  • Tutton, Richard
  • Hauskeller, Christine
  • Sturdy, Steve
ORCID
Venue
Ethnic and Racial Studies
Publisher
Informa UK Limited
Published
2014-03-18
Volume
37
Issue
5
Pages
738-752
ISSN
  • 0141-9870 (ISSN-L)
  • 1466-4356
DOI
10.1080/01419870.2013.870667
OpenAlex
W2023122007
Cited by
38
References
0
Citations by year
2026: 4 · 2025: 1 · 2024: 1 · 2023: 1 · 2022: 2 · 2021: 4 · 2020: 5 · 2019: 3 · 2018: 5 · 2017: 5 · 2016: 3 · 2015: 2 · 2014: 2
FWCI
12.11
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Ethnic and Racial Studies (publishedVersion)
  • Lancaster EPrints (Lancaster University) (submittedVersion)
  • Edinburgh Research Explorer (University of Edinburgh) (submittedVersion, other-oa)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Migration, Refugees, and Integration
  • Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Migration and Exile Studies
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Genetics › Race, Genetics, and Society
Keywords
asylum seekers, border control technology, immigration policy, race and national identity, sense of belonging, socio-technical analysis, UK asylum system

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