Jen Psaki confirmed the administration gives phones to migrants released into America so officials can track them.
Psaki told Fox News’s Peter Doocy:
We need to take steps to ensure that we know where individuals are, we can track them, we can check in with them. The alternatives to detention programs, which is what we utilize, is three unique forms of technology to monitor participants enrolled in the program. Telephonic, which is one of them, which uses a participant’s voice to create a biometric voice print during the enrollment process. When the participant has a check-in call, their voice is compared to the voiceprint. SmartLink, which is another option, enables participant monitoring via smartphone or tablet using facial matching technology to establish identity. And Global Positioning System monitoring which monitors a participant’s location and movement history using satellite technology through an ankle bracelet.This is all part of our effort as individuals come into the United States and individuals who are entering who will proceed to immigration proceedings to monitor and to track where they are.
Doocy asked Psaki if they had any concerns about people throwing away the phones or giving them away to others. Psaki answered:
Our concern is ensuring individuals who irregular migrate to the United States proceed through our process of, of course, you know, being monitored but also participating in hearings to determine whether or not they will be able to stay.I will note that nearly 80% of noncitizens released at the border from DHS custody under prosecutorial discretion have either received a notice to appear or are still within their window to report. So actually the vast, vast majority of people are appearing, and we have these monitors and monitoring systems in order to do that effectively.
Psaki’s response confirms previous reporting and pictures from the border.
Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) demanded Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas answers to border worries while pointing out the phones.
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