ICE doubled its use of ankle monitors for legal immigrants in the past year: ‘A very harmful phenomenon’
Key Takeaways
- It has been reported that ICE nearly doubled the number of people on ankle monitors in the Alternatives to Detention (ATD) program, from about 24,000 to roughly 42,000.
- Advocates say the surge follows a June 2025 internal memo pushing wider ankle-monitor use; ICE says placements remain “individualized determinations.”
- Critics warn monitors cause economic, physical and psychological harm and may push people toward “self-deportation.”
- Regional enforcement varies sharply; the Washington DC field office has the highest share of ankle-monitor assignments.
- Research raises questions about effectiveness: a 2021 Cardozo School of Law study found monitors do not necessarily improve compliance.
Background
US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) uses electronic monitoring as part of its Alternatives to Detention (ATD) program, which was formally set up in 2004 to supervise people with immigration cases without placing them in detention. ATD includes methods such as phone check‑ins and tracking apps, but ankle monitors — devices that use GPS or other electronic methods to record location — have become much more common. It has been reported that the number of people wearing ankle monitors rose from about 24,000 at the time of a June 2025 memo to roughly 42,000 by February of fiscal year 2026.
Policy shift and regional differences
Advocates and some attorneys say the increase followed an internal ICE directive in June 2025 encouraging officers to place ankle monitors on people enrolled in ATD. It has been reported that Evan Benz of the Amica Center called the change a “market shift” toward ankle monitoring. ICE disputes any blanket policy, telling the Guardian that ATD supervision is based on “individualized determinations” considering criminal history, compliance record and “any other relevant factors.” Deployment, however, has not been uniform: the DC-area field office (covering Washington, D.C., and Virginia) has the highest number of ankle-monitor placements in the country.
Human impact and legal concerns
Attorneys and advocates describe real harms. Clients who have complied with long‑running asylum requirements were reportedly ordered to strap on monitors and then faced job loss, discomfort and stigma — problems that interfere with work, caregiving and medical care. Critics say the devices can be used to pressure people into abandoning cases, an outcome advocates call “self‑deportation”; it has been reported that such coercive effects are part of the concern. Legal research also complicates ICE’s justification: a 2021 Cardozo School of Law study found ankle monitors do not necessarily improve compliance and can produce additional harms without clear benefit.
What this means now
For immigrants and lawyers, the shift means more people under electronic surveillance even if not detained. If you are in the ATD program or have a pending asylum or removal case, ask your attorney whether ankle monitoring is discretionary in your jurisdiction and what factors ICE cites when ordering a device. Policy watchers should monitor regional enforcement practices and any administrative guidance or litigation that challenges expanded monitoring. The practical takeaway: ankle monitors are no longer a marginal tool — they are increasingly routine, and that has immediate consequences for work, family life and case strategy.
Source: Original Article