DHS confirms plan to collect more DNA samples from detained immigrants

The Department of Homeland Security is working with the Justice Department on a new rule that would expand immigration agencies' ability to collect DNA samples from immigrants in its custody, a DHS official confirmed to reporters on a call.

Why it matters: The rule would allow the government to acquire personal information — which would be stored in the FBI's criminal database — from people who have not been accused of any crime other than illegally crossing the border. Details as to whether any immigrants would be exempt from the regulation and when the rule will be published are still being worked out, a DHS official said. Buzzfeed's Hamed Aleaziz first reported on the regulation in August.