Trump’s Transition Team Eyes Expansion of Ankle Monitors for Illegal Immigrants Not in Custody

The Trump transition team is considering a significant expansion of the way ankle-worn GPS monitors are used to track illegal immigrants who are not in federal immigration detention {snip}

President-elect Trump has pledged to launch a mass deportation operation once sworn into office, and his transition team has already been engaged in planning to make that happen.

Multiple sources familiar with discussions told Fox News Digital the priority for the incoming administration is the detention and deportation of illegal immigrants along with preventing them from entering the U.S. in the first place.

However, with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention capacity in the tens of thousands, compared to the millions who are not currently in detention, officials are also expected to ramp up the monitoring of those not in detention until they can be removed.

Under the Alternatives to Detention (ATD) program, newly arrived illegal immigrants going through court proceedings are monitored by either an ankle-worn or wrist-worn device or use a cell phone app under which they are required to check in with ICE. {snip}

The Trump administration is looking at ways to increase the number of illegal immigrants being monitored by an ankle or wrist monitor, while also sharply reducing the numbers of those not detained. Officials also want GPS tracking to be available for much longer than it is currently. {snip}

Advocates of ATD and ICE have argued that compliance by those enrolled when monitored remains high, and it is cheaper than detention – $8 a day compared to $150 a day. {snip}

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