The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) wants to collect biometric data from everyone involved in an immigration or visa process, including U.S. citizens and children under the age of 14, under a new rule proposed Monday.
That mandatory data collection could include facial imagery, prints, signatures, ocular scans, voice, and DNA profiles, according to the notice of proposed rulemaking uploaded to the Federal Register by DHS.
The agency tasked with overseeing immigration enforcement justified the expanded data collection as a method of cracking down on “claimed genetic relationships” among those who are detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents.
Currently, DHS treats children younger than 14 as being exempt from some biometric data collection processes and does not require that same information from U.S. citizens or green card holders who file family visa applications.
“DHS anticipates that by removing age restrictions on the collection of biometrics this rule will enhance the ability of ICE and CBP to identify fraudulently claimed genetic relationships at the border and upon encounter,” DHS stated.
The rule would also expand the department’s biometric data collection efforts by requiring repeated biometric screening throughout the immigration lifecycle.
Under the new proposal, DHS predicted it would see an annual average increase of 1.12 million biometric submissions on top of the 2.07 million that it received annually over the last five years.
“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,” DHS said in its proposal.
The technology used by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services to collect, assess, and store biometric data is overseen by “internal procedural safeguards,” that DHS says ensures the technology “is accurate, reliable, and valid.”
By collecting biometrics, DHS added that ICE and CBP will be able to “more effectively enforce the immigration laws against” non-U.S. citizens who may be “subject to removal.”
Since the start of President Donald Trump’s second administration, immigration enforcement has been a top priority. Trump requested additional funding for immigration-related entities in his fiscal year 2026 budget proposal and expanded the collection of biometrics for non-citizens.
Last week, CBP announced its plans to create a biometric “gallery,” including data from non-residents entering or exiting the United States at all entry points, starting at the end of this year. DHS said that gallery will be used to track those who did not follow entry procedures into the country and flag incorrect or incomplete biometric information.