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ICE to test smartwatch-like tracking devices for migrants facing deportation
CBSN
Washington — U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on Monday unveiled a smartwatch-like device to track migrants released from federal immigration custody, saying the technology could help the government monitor a small fraction of the millions of individuals with pending deportation cases.
The wrist monitor, which uses GPS technology, will be the latest device used by ICE to track migrants enrolled in the Alternatives to Detention program, an agency initiative that the Biden administration has vastly expanded to supervise migrants determined not to pose a risk to public safety or national security, such as asylum-seekers processed along the U.S.-Mexico border.
ICE has previously used ankle monitors, phone calls and a mobile app with face recognition technology to monitor those placed in the alternatives to detention program, which Biden administration officials have argued is a cheaper and more humane way to ensure migrants comply with their immigration proceedings than holding them in detention facilities.
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