Electronic Monitoring of Migrants: Punitive not Prudent
Across the United States every day, hundreds of thousands of migrants find themselves in de facto detention due to electronic monitoring. A global positioning (GPS) device affixed to their ankle or a cellphone in their pocket with the SmartLINK application tracks their every move. The Government asserts that its use of electronic monitoring, as part of the Alternatives to Detention (ATD) program, is a cost-effective alternative to detaining migrants to ensure that they attend all their Immigration Court hearings, report as required for immigration check-in appointments, and submit to removal from the country, if so ordered. Despite the name, however, electronic monitoring programs are not true alternatives to detention. They are an expansion of detention that imposes a significant financial cost on taxpayers and a considerable human toll on the participants and their family members.