The White House announced on Wednesday that illegal immigrants are being given technological gadgets, including mobile phones, so that the Biden administration may follow and check in on them as they await immigration court procedures.
When asked about the project by Fox News White House correspondent Peter Doocy, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said the goal was to keep track of illegal immigrants.
The Alternatives to Detention Program, which we use, employs three distinct types of technology to keep track of program participants. One of them is Telephonic, which creates a biometric voiceprint from a participant’s voice during the enrollment process. Psaki said that when the participant receives a check-in call, their voice is matched to the voiceprint.
Smartlink, she added, is another option that allows participants to be monitored by smartphone or tablet using facial matching technology to establish identity. The government’s Global Positioning System, which uses an ankle tag to track the whereabouts and movement history of illegal immigrants awaiting trial.
According to Psaki, the distribution of smartphones is part of a larger effort to monitor and follow individuals when they enter the United States and as they progress through immigration processes.
As a consequence of the Biden administration’s surveillance measures, she claims the great majority of individuals are showing up on time.
Doocy questioned Psaki whether anybody in the government was concerned that some migrants would steal the phones and throw them away.
Sources tell me w/ parole releases, the migrants are asked to turn themselves into ICE in a city of their choice. I’m told many of them are given these phones by the government to track them and allow them to communicate w/ ICE, but there’s no way to stop them from being tossed. pic.twitter.com/tAogWloQgy
— Bill Melugin (@BillFOXLA) April 5, 2022
The overwhelming, huge majority of individuals are appearing in part, according to Psaki, and we have these monitors, monitoring mechanisms in place to do so efficiently.
Republican Senator Josh Hawley of Missouri wrote to Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas on Wednesday, inquiring about claims that DHS plans to supply migrants with free phones.
