Immigrant advocacy groups and the federal government have both signaled their opposition to the practice of the quick release of reunited immigrant parents and children and then fitting them with electronic monitoring devices, albeit for different reasons. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) have issued thousands of ankle monitors, referred to as grilletes by immigrants, which weigh 5.5 ounces, resulting in large profits for second-biggest prison contractor in the US, the GEO Group.
According to government officials, the devices serve to ensure people attend immigration court, but that some immigrants remove them and vanish at the start of deportation proceedings. Meanwhile, legal experts and immigrant advocates are against the practice as being inhumane and inappropriate for immigrants seeking asylum in the US, given their common usage on criminal parolees.
The program was first established in 2002 by Congress, although the use of GPS monitors became more commonplace during the administration of President Barack Obama as deportations increased to record levels, with the annual figure growing to over 385,000 per annum during the eight years of his Presidency from 2008 to 2016. After 2014, their use became more widespread in the wake of thousands of immigrant families and unaccompanied minors crossing the border between the US and Mexico asking for asylum as they fled domestic violence, drug smugglers, and violent gangs in Central America.
There were almost 84,500 participants in the Intensive Supervision Appearance Program run by ICE since early July 2018, more than three times the figure recorded in November 2014.