On November 6, just hours after news outlets declared that Donald Trump had been elected the next president of the United States, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) posted a notice requesting proposals from companies on how to expand their system of monitoring and tracking “non-citizens” awaiting immigration court hearings or deportation. This notice comes as a signal of ICE’s plans to intensify their surveillance of individuals awaiting deportation hearings, potentially increasing the number of people under their watch from under 200,000 to over 5 million.
Throughout his presidential campaign, Trump has promised to carry out “the largest deportation operation in American history.” While he has not released specific plans on how this would be executed, it is likely that many aspects of a mass monitoring, detention, and deportation program would be outsourced to private companies contracted by ICE. The recent notice asks interested companies to provide details on how they would store location data and personal information, where their offices would be located, how they would staff agents, and what technology they have for remote surveillance.
Currently, ICE uses a combination of ankle monitors, GPS-enabled smartwatches, and smartphone apps to remotely monitor individuals. They also utilize facial recognition technology for biometric check-ins. The notice also states that contractors must have facilities with large intake rooms and the ability to perform mass-scale intakes in case of unforeseen events.
The contractors would be facilitating ICE’s Intensive Supervision Appearance Program (ISAP), which is a way for ICE to monitor individuals without detaining them. This program has seen a significant increase in participants under President Biden, with the current total at almost 200,000 people. According to the notice, ISAP offers “considerable cost savings” compared to detention, making it likely that it will be a significant aspect of any mass deportation program, even if Trump follows through on his promise of mass detention.
In a notice released last year, ICE provided more details on their plans for 2025, indicating that they were preparing for a more intense immigration policy regardless of the election outcome. This notice revealed that ISAP’s parent program, Alternatives to Detention, would be rebranded as Release and Reporting Management.
Overall, the recent notice from ICE and their previous plans show that the agency is gearing up for a more aggressive approach to immigration enforcement, with the use of private contractors playing a significant role. As the Biden administration continues to grapple with immigration policies, it remains to be seen how these plans will be implemented and what impact they will have on the lives of those awaiting deportation hearings.
