The plan, reported by BuzzFeed , is notable partly because it permits the government to amass information not only about recent immigrants, but also on green card holders and naturalized Americans as well. According to a new rule published by the DHS in the Federal Register last week, the agency plans to expand "the categories of records" collected to include "social media handles, aliases, associated identifiable information and search results" as part of their "A-file" or Alien immigration file, BuzzFeed first reported. The department published a new rule in the Federal Register on September 18 stating that it plans to include “social media handles, aliases, associated identifiable information, and search results” as part of U.S. immigrants’ records.
The United States Department of Homeland Security plans to collect the social media information of all immigrants, including green card holders and naturalized citizens, beginning on October 18, 2017.