New Delhi, Nov. 2 -- The Trump administration is proposing a sweeping expansion of the United States' biometric data collection programme, allowing the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to collect DNA and other biological identifiers from nearly everyone applying for or associated with an immigration benefit - including children.

The draft regulation marks one of the most far-reaching surveillance measures in US immigration history and could affect millions of people each year.

Under the proposed rule, DHS would be authorised to collect biometric data - such as fingerprints, iris scans, voiceprints, facial recognition data, and DNA samples - from anyone involved in an immigration filing, "regardless of age," unless explicitly exempt...