Border czar Tom Homan expressed support for expanding the use of GPS-enabled ankle monitors on illegal immigrants, as the Trump administration continues its crackdown at the southern border.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement reportedly directed employees to increase the number of illegal immigrants shackled with ankle monitors in a June 9 memo.
“I’m not in the weeds. If that’s happening, I support it,” Homan told reporters Thursday afternoon at the White House in response to the report.
“I looked at the numbers the other day on the removal orders over the last year, 51% of those who got a removal order were in absentia, which means they didn’t show up in court. So ankle monitors help with that,” he continued.
The June 9 memo, reported by the Washington Post, ordered ICE personnel to place GPS ankle monitors on illegal immigrants enrolled in the Alternatives to Detention program “whenever possible.” Currently, roughly 183,000 adult immigrants are enrolled in ATD, but only 24,000 wear ankle monitors.
