The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is piloting a program that allows migrants to check in with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents remotely, using a cellphone or computer, rather than in person. Critics are calling the program a “ghost mode operation” that makes it easier for migrants to stay in the United States without being tracked.
The program, which is currently being tested with around 150 migrants, has raised concerns among ICE agents and immigration experts. They argue that the program’s lack of consequences for migrants who fail to check in, and its inability to collect GPS data from migrants who use computers to check in, make it a national security risk.
RJ Hauman, president of the National Immigration Center for Enforcement (NICE), criticized the program, saying that it allows migrants to “go ghost mode” and makes it impossible for ICE agents to locate them in the future. Hauman also pointed out that the program’s storage of GPS data for only a week makes it useless for tracking migrants over time.
Jon Feere, a former ICE official, also expressed concerns about the program, saying that it undermines public safety and is an admission that the administration is unable to handle the workload created by the porous borders. Feere argued that the administration should focus on hiring more ICE officers and increasing detention space rather than reducing monitoring of migrants.
ICE agents are reportedly unhappy with the program, which was developed without their input. Critics say that the program is a product of anti-enforcement political appointees who want to see migrants remain in the United States indefinitely.
The program is part of a series of pilot initiatives launched by the Biden-Harris administration, including a plan to issue ID cards to migrants and a proposal to allow migrants to check in with ICE agents electronically only once a year. Critics argue that these programs prioritize the interests of migrants over national security and public safety.
Deportation and detention should be the primary focus of any ICE program, critics say. However, the federal government currently has limited detention space, and only a fraction of migrants released at the border are placed into monitoring programs. Hauman argued that the administration should prioritize Americans’ security and scrap the “ghost-mode operation” in favor of more effective measures to track and deport migrants.
