The Department of Homeland Security plans to require applicants for any immigration benefit to submit biometric information that could include DNA, facial imagery, and voice prints.
A proposed rule released Friday would mandate that any applicant, regardless of age or benefit sought, submit to the new data collection. DHS currently requires that data for only certain enforcement purposes and benefits, among them: naturalization, permanent residency, asylum, and work permits.
Under the proposal, DHS would have the authority to collect biometric data as part of removal proceedings. It could also collect DNA to prove claims of a genetic relationship between applicants or “evidence of biological sex when relevant for certain immigration benefit requests.”
The rule is part of broader efforts by the Trump administration to ratchet up scrutiny of immigration requests and expand collection of data on foreign nationals, including an immigrant registry rule.
“Using biometrics for identity verification and management will assist DHS’s efforts to combat trafficking, confirm the results of biographical criminal history checks, and deter fraud,” the agency said in the proposed rule.
Other biometric data the agency may require under the rule include: ocular imagery, finger or palm prints, and handwritten signatures.
A public comment period on the proposal will be open for 60 days after the rule is published in the Federal Register Nov. 3.
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