WASHINGTON, Feb. 4 (UPI) -- The Justice Department is developing rules to allow collection of DNA from most people arrested or detained by U.S. authorities, The New York Times reported.
The expanded DNA collection will apply in hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrations cases each year, the newspaper said.
Congress authorized the expansion in an amendment to a January 2006 renewal of the Violence Against Women Act, which provides protections and services for victims of sexual crimes. The amendment -- passed with little fanfare -- permits collecting DNA from anyone arrested on criminal matters by federal authorities, as well as from illegal immigrants detained by federal agents, the newspaper said.
Lynn Parrish, the spokeswoman for the Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network, based in Washington, told the newspaper the new law will help in identifying sexual predators, and will also help isolate dangerous criminals among illegal immigrants.
"Obviously, the bigger the DNA database, the better," said Parrish. "If this had been implemented years ago, it could have prevented many crimes."
Deborah Notkin, a lawyer and a past president of the American Immigration Lawyers Association, said the program was "so broad, it's scary."
