ICE doubled its use of ankle monitors for legal immigrants in the past year: ‘A very harmful phenomenon’

Immigration and Customs Enforcement has doubled its use of ankle monitors on legal immigrants over the past year, a practice that immigration advocates say is designed to pressure people into leaving the country voluntarily. The devices are uncomfortable, interfere with employment, and are being deployed against immigrants like asylum seekers with pending legal cases who previously checked in with authorities without incident. Immigration lawyers argue the monitors constitute harassment aimed at forcing self-deportation rather than serving legitimate enforcement purposes. The shift represents an escalation in ICE's approach to managing immigration cases during a period of heightened enforcement priorities. Advocates characterize the expanded use as particularly harmful to vulnerable populations, including domestic violence survivors navigating the asylum process.