HARLINGEN, Texas (Border Report) — A new, lighter GPS device that resembles a wristwatch to track migrants is being issued by immigration courts more frequently.
The Veri-Watch system, administered by U.S. Immigration and Customs and Enforcement officers, has gone from a pilot project of just 50 participants to nearly 3,000 issued in just the past year, according to new data from Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse (TRAC) of Syracuse University.
The number of these wrist-worn devices issued pales to the 155,000 currently issued SmartLINK smartphone applications that track migrants nationwide. However, the TRAC data shows a new trend emerging by the courts — especially those in South Texas — to issue this new tracking technology.
(TRAC Graphic)
Nearly 500 of these wrist devices have been issued by U.S. immigration courts in Harlingen, Texas, TRAC reports. The numbers issued nationwide have jumped over 800 since the beginning of May.
The change comes as criticism has mounted against SmartLINK due to erroneous reports that the agency is issuing full-functioning smartphones to migrants.
A migrant woman at the Humanitarian Respite Center in McAllen, Texas, on June 21, 2022, shows a government-issued cellphone with a SmartLINK app installed that tracks her whereabouts and only allows her to communicate with U.S. immigration authorities. (Sandra Sanchez/Border Report File Photo)
“ICE’s growing use of the VeriWatch is reflected across the country,” TRAC says.
After Harlingen, Seattle and Los Angeles each issued over 360 of the devices in the past year.
Altogether, ICE has over 184,000 migrants currently monitored through the agency’s Alternatives to Detention programs. Devices used to monitor include the SmartLINK phone app, telephonic reporting, VeriWatch and GPS ankle monitoring.
VeriWatch appears to utilize the technology of GPS ankle monitors without the bulky and cumbersome hardware that migrant advocates say is difficult for asylum-seekers to live with and is most noticeable in public.
A family of migrants board a taxi in McAllen, Texas, bound for the airport on June 24, 2021, after being released by DHS officials. Some released migrants are placed in an Alternatives to Detention monitoring program that can include ankle monitors and SMARTLink phone monitoring. (Sandra Sanchez/Border Report File Photo)
“These wrist-worn GPS monitoring devices would supplement existing ATD capabilities for noncitizens who qualify for the non-detained docket in a less obtrusive manner, increasing compliance for participants moving through the immigration process,” ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations Executive Associate Director Corey Price said in April 2023 when announcing the new technology and pilot program.
The wrist-worn devices allow for location monitoring, facial matching and have messaging functions. It’s similar to a smartwatch “but it cannot be used for any function beyond compliance with immigration-related activities,” ICE says.
The watches are produced by BI Inc., of Boulder, Colorado, and weigh just 2.3 ounces. The devices have a removal detection algorithm that uses proximity and other sensors to detect when it is taken off. It can also store location points for seven days without cell connectivity and data can be preserved even if the battery is drained. It also has an LCD touchscreen, speaker and alarm and is available in English and Spanish, according to BI Inc.
“ICE’s Alternatives to Detention (ATD) programs exist to ensure compliance with release conditions and provides important case management services for non-detained noncitizens,” the agency says on its website.
The agency says ATD is more cost-effective than detaining migrants.
ATD costs about $8 per day to administer, compared to $150 per day for detention, according to ICE.
The SmartLINK cellphone app has been widely used nationwide for several years, however, it has faced criticism and numerous erroneous reports that the agency is issuing smart cellphones to migrants upon their entry across the border.
The app is just that and can only allow immigration-related communication between the migrant and ICE officials. The agency sends notifications of upcoming immigration court appointments. Migrants can also upload and send documents to case specialists and officers who may directly message each other. Migrants can search through a database to find community service providers in their area, such as clothing and food banks, through the app, according to ICE.
Sandra Sanchez can be reached at SSanchez@BorderReport.com.
