In a move to address decades of concerns about the protection of civil rights, the Justice Department plans to expand its definition of racial profiling to alleviate discrimination by religion, nationality, gender and sexual orientation, the New York Times reports.
Although the Bush administration banned racial profiling in 2003, it provided exclusions for national security cases and Latinos for immigration probes.
Attorney General Eric Holder wants that to change, the Times wrote.
“Putting an end to this practice not only comports with the Constitution, it would put real teeth to the F.B.I.’s claims that it wants better relationships with religious minorities,” said Hina Shamsi, a national security lawyer with the American Civil Liberties Union.
It’s unclear when the new rules will go into effect.
