The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) will be testing a new tracking device that will be worn by immigrants who have been released from federal custody while awaiting deportation hearings, CBS News reported on Monday.
The latest device is wrist-mounted and functions with the help of GPS technology. This will be utilized by ICE to track migrants enrolled in the Alternatives to Detention program, an agency initiative that President Joe Biden’s administration has greatly expanded to monitor migrants who don’t present any danger to public safety or national security, such as refugees processed along the border between the United States and Mexico.
The Biden administration has insisted that the program is more affordable and considerate than keeping migrants in detention facilities in order to ensure that they participate with immigration processes. The program previously included technologies like ankle monitors, phone calls, and a mobile app for tracking.
Moreover, approximately 25,000 additional migrants have been held in various jails and institutions that are a part of the ICE network, and as of early this month, about 250,000 migrants had been tracked under the program.
The daily operating cost of the watch for each migrant will not exceed $8, which the official said is much less expensive than detention costs. An ICE official discussed the program and explained that the wrist monitors blend in because they look like smartwatches, describing them as “less intrusive than an ankle monitor.”
Furthermore, the ICE officer demonstrated the device to the media on Monday and stated that 50 adult migrants facing deportation near Denver will receive the watches as part of a pilot program that will be examined over a period of weeks.
The representative also added that depending on how the trial period goes, the technology’s use might be expanded.
Not only does the watch have GPS functions, it also has the ability to display time, receive notifications from ICE officers and case managers, and access a calendar of appointments for migrants to check in with officers.
The wrist monitors were designed by a private corporation, BI Incorporated, just like the phone app ICE previously utilized to track a large number of migrants.
