As many as 4.5 million migrants in the US will be fitted with ankle tags, as ICE looks to monitor them more closely before they’re removed from the US.
The migrants, all of whom crossed the border illegally, are required to report to ICE regularly to ensure they’re not breaking the law and that they’re attending immigration-court hearings.
“There’s a new sheriff in town, and we’re not doing things that were being done over the last four years—the agency wants accountability,” a source told The New York Post.
The new tracking initiative will mean officers can move to locate migrants quickly, especially in cases where they try to remove their ankle tag, which will now be treated as a crime, in a reversal of Biden-era policy.
“During the Biden administration, people absconded, and no one went to look for them. Now that is supposed to change,” the source said.
Large numbers of ankle monitors are now being shipped around the country as part of the Intensive Supervision Appearance Program.
Last month, a total of 183,000 migrants were either wearing ankle monitors or using wrist-worn devices and a phone app to track their movements.
As well as wearing an ankle monitor, migrants will be required to report much more frequently to ICE centers.
It’s hoped the new intensified tracking procedures will free up more ICE agents to take part in deportation raids.
On Friday, President Trump issued a new order calling for the recruitment of at least 20,000 new Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents to aid in his flagship deportation policy.
If the President’s order is implemented, it will represent the largest expansion of ICE in the organization’s history.
At present, there are just 6,000 ICE officers focused on deportations. The new order would more than double that number. President Trump has also indicated that he wants local law enforcement to be more involved in deportations.
Staffing, funding and infrastructure have been key problems for Trump’s nascent policy to deport millions of illegal aliens.
In March, ICE warned Congress that it faces a massive black hole in its budget that could compromise its ability to track, arrest and remove illegals.
A few weeks ago, it was reported the Trump administration is now aiming for a minimum of one-million deportations this year.
More than 100,000 migrants have already been deported, and large numbers have also self-deported before authorities could apprehend them.
During his election campaign, President Trump promised “the largest mass deportation operation in American history.” He suggested at least 20 million people are in the US illegally and must be deported.
Since taking office in January, President Trump has following a multi-pronged approach to tackling the immigration crisis, which has included ending birthright citizenship, raids targeting the most dangerous illegals known to authorities already, and deals with other countries to house illegals deported from the US.
Members of the vicious gangs Tren de Aragua and MS-13 have been flown to El Salvador, to be housed in the notorious CECOT prison constructed specially to house the Latin American nation’s own home-grown gangbangers.
Securing the nation’s southern border has also been a particular focus of Trump’s new immigration policies.