Trump Administration Seeks to Expand Collection of Biometric Data From Immigrants

The Trump administration continues to make immigration a policy priority.  And the policy changes keep coming and coming!

Hamed Aleaziz for BuzzFeed News just broke a blockbuster story on what would be a huge policy change. — and another one that would push the boundaries.  The Trump administration has drafted a proposal that would dramatically expand the number of people required to provide biometrics for various immigration purposes and increase the personal information the government can demand, such as eye scans, voice prints, DNA, and photographs for facial recognition. According a draft policy obtained by BuzzFeed News, the government could request biometrics from immigrants who have received an immigration benefit at any point up until they are a U.S. citizen to ensure continuous “vetting.”

The draft rule would represent a massive shift in the Department of Homeland Security’s collection of personal information from immigrants and US citizens and will likely cause concern among privacy and immigrant advocates.

The Department of Homeland Security confirmed that it planned to publish a finalized version of the policy for public review. The proposed rule “improves the screening and vetting process and reduces our dependence on paper documents and biographic information to prove identity and familial relationships,” the DHS added. “This proposed rule eliminates any ambiguity surrounding the Department’s use of biometrics, setting clear standards for how and why we collect and use this information,” acting Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security Ken Cuccinelli said in the statement. “Leveraging readily available technology to verify the identity of an individual we are screening is responsible governing. The collection of biometric information also guards against identity theft and thwarts fraudsters who are not who they claim to be.”

KJ