More than 54,000 immigrants tracked with GPS ankle monitors as ICE expands surveillance, faces lawsuit
Aug 6, 2026·Location: United States

ICE is tracking nearly 54,000 immigrants with GPS-enabled ankle monitors, up from about 17,000 a year ago, even as total enrollment in its Alternatives to Detention program has remained roughly stable at about 184,000 participants, according to Geo Group earnings disclosures reported by The Guardian. The expansion follows a June 2025 ICE directive encouraging officers to place people in the Intensive Supervision Appearance Program on ankle monitors rather than mobile applications or telephone check-ins. Geo Group's subsidiary BI Inc., which manufactures and operates the devices, earns more than $2 per participant per day from ankle monitors compared with about $0.96 per day for the SmartLINK phone application, and the company's CEO told investors the shift would boost revenue even without overall program growth. Immigrant rights groups filed a class action lawsuit in June alleging ICE adopted an "ankle monitors for all" approach without individualized assessments or meaningful opportunities to contest the requirement.
Sources
- ICE is now tracking nearly 54,000 immigrants via ankle monitors
The Guardian·Aug 6, 2026·archived copy
- U.S. Immigration & Customs Enforcement (ICE) Expands Ankle Monitor Program to Nearly 54,000 Immigrants as Geo Group Profits from Surveillance Shift
tuzarapost.substack.com·Aug 8, 2026·archived copy
- This $470 Million Surveillance Program Is Watching Immigrants Across the US
truthout.org·Nov 2, 2025
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