home

Ankle Bracelets for Law- Abiding Immigrants

Homeland Security is requiring immigrants in 8 cities who are in the process of applying for residency to wear electronic monitoring ankle bracelets 24/7.

These people have never been accused of a crime. There are 1,700 of them to date. Homeland Security says monitoring will prevent those ordered deported from running and hiding. But, a 2003 Justice Department report (pdf) blamed inadequate record keeping by immigration officials as the reason for problems deporting non-detained aliens.

And a three year pilot program has found:

....supervision -- regular phone calls from program workers, reminders about court dates, referrals to legal representatives and other such measures -- is more cost effective than detention and almost doubles the rate of compliance.

Why are Americans so apathetic about this?

Update: A blog named Outside the Beltway claims that our post is misleading because the 1,700 detained have been ordered deported. Totally false. Had the blogger bothered to read the source article linked in this post, it would have learned that, as I said, the program under which 1,700 are wearing ankle bracelets is being applied to immigrants who are applying to remain in the country--not, as he claims, those who have been ordered deported and refused to go. [They are lawfully appealing orders of deportation or denial of their applications for residency.]

The Department of Homeland Security is experimenting with a controversial new method to keep better track of immigrants who are applying to remain in the United States. It is requiring aliens in eight cities to wear electronic monitors 24 hours a day.

The ankle bracelets are the same monitors that some rapists and other convicted criminals have to wear on parole. But the government's pilot project is putting monitors on aliens who have never been accused of a crime. So far, the Department of Homeland Security has put electronic monitors on more than 1,700 immigrants.

Update: The transcript to the NPR report ends with this statement by the Homeland Security Official Victor Certa:

ZWERDLING: Certa says his department will experiment with electronic monitors for at least six more months, and he says if they like the results, then Homeland Security might require every non-citizen who's applying to stay here to wear a monitor, at least for a while, unless they're waiting in jail. Daniel Zwerdling, NPR News.

The introduction states:

The Department of Homeland Security is experimenting with a controversial new method to keep better track of immigrants who are applying to stay in the United States. In eight cities, it is requiring immigrants whose status is being challenged by the government to wear electronic monitors 24 hours a day. These are the same monitors that some rapists and other criminals have to wear on parole. This pilot project is putting monitors on immigrants who've never been accused of a crime. NPR's Daniel Zwerdling reports.

The report focuses on an immigrant named Amilcar Daros, who owns a house in the U.S., has a good job, pays taxes and has never been accused of a crime. He is appealing an order of deportation.

ZWERDLING: Daros has not committed a crime. Instead, here's what he has done. Five years ago, Daros came to America from Beliz. He came legally, and then he applied to settle in the United States. Immigration officials denied his application and said they're going to deport him, so Daros hired a lawyer and they're appealing his case in court. But while he's appealing, officials at Homeland Security have ordered him to wear the electronic monitor, and they've ordered him to stay in his house from 6 PM until 6 AM every single day. If Daros tried to sneak out of his house during those 12 hours, his ankle bracelet would sound an alarm at a national computer center in Indiana. He'd be in trouble.

Mr. Daros has worked in the same restaurant for five years. He is now an assistant manager, supervising 50 employees during his shift.

The Homeland Security Offical says:

ZWERDLING: Victor Certa runs a division in Homeland Security called Detention and Removal Operations. The laws say that Homeland Security can detain any aliens while officials are deciding whether they can stay in the country or have to leave, especially if officials think the aliens threaten public safety or are likely to run away, and last year the government put tens of thousands of immigrants in jail for that reason. Certa says he wants to find a better system than jails, mainly because he says jails are so expensive. He says electronic monitors might be a cheaper way to get immigrants to follow the rules while the government's deciding their fate.

As to the Department of Justice report that did not, as Mr. Certa say, find that 85% of those ordered deported flee:

ZWERDLING: That's a pretty shocking statistic. Certa's spokesman says it comes from a study by the Justice Department. But if you actually read the Justice study, you'll find that the investigators did not say what Certa claims. Their study did find that about 85 percent of the aliens who were supposed to be deported during a recent year did not get deported, but the study criticized the immigration agency itself for causing part of the problem. Bo Cooper was the agency's general counsel. He says their records were so disorganized and inaccurate, that when they needed to contact immigrants, they often didn't know where to mail the letter.

Mr. BO COOPER (General Counsel): There were large numbers of instances in which people would send in notice that they had changed addresses, but that information wouldn't be collected and put into a usable storage by the INS so that when it came time to know where the person was and take action, the INS didn't know.

ZWERDLING: Cooper says no one has figured out how many aliens deliberately cheat and how many are innocent victims of government mismanagement. Congress has ordered immigration officials to overhaul their system and keep better track of aliens, but Congress hasn't said anything about electronic bracelets, and that brings us back to Amilcar Daros in Minneapolis.

So, if you apply for residency in the U.S., are turned down by immigration officials and appeal, you will have to wear a bracelet. Is it better than being detained? Yes. Should we being doing either indiscriminately, without regard for individual circumstances and public safety? No.

< Global Electronic Surveillance for Dummies | On Death Row in Tripoli >
  • The Online Magazine with Liberal coverage of crime-related political and injustice news

  • Contribute To TalkLeft


  • Display: Sort:
    Re: Ankle Bracelets for Law- Abiding Immigrants (none / 0) (#1)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Wed Mar 02, 2005 at 09:33:20 AM EST
    TL, to answer your question, it's simply because Americans don't believe the technology will be used against themselves, someday. Such naivete may be charming in children, but in adults it's cause for concern, because recent history is replete with few examples of such 'dual use' tech that hasn't been turned against those who pay for it, i.e. surveillence cameras originally intended to curb crime being used in committing them, such as pervs in security companies hired to do the monitoring using them to make peeping down women's blouses that much easier. I suppose that when it does happen finally begin happening to Americans, we can say then the technology is being 'abused'?

    Re: Ankle Bracelets for Law- Abiding Immigrants (none / 0) (#2)
    by pigwiggle on Wed Mar 02, 2005 at 09:44:34 AM EST
    Americans in general are concerned about the effect of immigration on the labor market and the consistency of culture. NPR has a thorough survey here . Most surprising; Democrats and Republicans disagree very little about the positive/negative impacts of immigration. In my world anyone who felt like coming here would be welcome. However, in my world there wouldn’t be a large public infrastructure that could be negatively impacted by a great influx of immigrants. The idea being that folks who would rather take advantage of social services will immigrate to those countries flush with them, while those folks interested in the opportunity provided by a free market will come here. I enjoy the inexpensive services provided by immigrants, and the inexpensive products made with cheap labor.

    Re: Ankle Bracelets for Law- Abiding Immigrants (none / 0) (#3)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Wed Mar 02, 2005 at 09:51:55 AM EST
    I've got some clients in this program, wearing the ankle bracelet, and I know for a fact they prefer the bracelets they're wearing now to the cells they used to occupy. In this xenophobic climate, under this Administration, it's probably the best we can hope for. I predict some commenters will say ankle bracelets are too good for immigrants, and that they should be forced to wear those exploding neck bracelets from Running Man.

    Re: Ankle Bracelets for Law- Abiding Immigrants (none / 0) (#4)
    by kdog on Wed Mar 02, 2005 at 09:54:52 AM EST
    Why are we apathetic? Because we don't love or truly want freedom.

    Re: Ankle Bracelets for Law- Abiding Immigrants (none / 0) (#5)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Wed Mar 02, 2005 at 09:56:02 AM EST
    Our ability to "otherize" fellow citizens of the world into "us"(human) and "them"(not human) knows no bounds. Armies count on utilizing this most ancient survival tool to allow soldiers to suspend moral judgments because the victims are not like them. This supposed talent of ours helped keep slavery papatable to the general public who went through great efforts (no right to worship, obtain education, etc.)to ingrain this belief into everyday society. The government also effectively uses our potential to "otherize" segments of our own population for political or financial gain. You can see the dems fighting the repubs when everyone in the middle class is getting ripped off, poor working families seeing single moms as real drain on their resources, and race relations that make America look in many ways like the big plantation it once was. Electronic monitoring will stigmatize immigrants and also serve to separate them from "us good folks", therefore making it easier for the Govt. to arrest, deport and separate them from their families. Next, your kids will be strapping on monitors to go to school, have GPS tracking implants, have cameras in their cars that page dad or mom when silly teen drives erratically, cards that monitor their every purchase and tests for every drug using every kind of bodily fluid. As I've said in the immigration threads, I think we have to find a way to separate the terrorist threat from the general immigration problem rather than seizing on current xenophobic trends to prosecute all immigrants.

    Re: Ankle Bracelets for Law- Abiding Immigrants (none / 0) (#6)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Wed Mar 02, 2005 at 10:10:57 AM EST
    Did any one care to read the 44-Page DOJ Report linked? It dealt strictly with Illegal Immigrants, who are in the process of removal of the country. For those who have a low wattage lightbulb, there is a pretty five-color flow chart on the process (Page 44). In the past, Illegal Immigrants were either forced into detention, or released on their own recognisance, pending a review by the The Immigration Review Board. The grand majority of those released, never came back and melded into our own population, never to be seen again. All this pilot program is doing, is holding Illegal Immigrants accountable to the Immigration Laws of our Country. Its either Jail Time for them, or Supervised Release pending their Administrative Process. What's so outrageous about that?

    Re: Ankle Bracelets for Law- Abiding Immigrants (none / 0) (#7)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Wed Mar 02, 2005 at 10:11:33 AM EST
    This was a featured piece on Morning Edition this morning, profiling one unfortunate victim of this idiotic program. Go listen for yourself - it's chilling. The kicker was the final statement: if 'testing' is successful DHS officials plan to require ALL NON-CITIZENS to wear them.

    Re: Ankle Bracelets for Law- Abiding Immigrants (none / 0) (#8)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Wed Mar 02, 2005 at 10:14:31 AM EST
    Lovesick, It's not about ALL Noncitizens, its only those who 1) either entered our contry illegally, or overstayed their visas, and 2) are in the process of having their Immigration status processed by the DOJ. Stop the hystrionics.

    Re: Ankle Bracelets for Law- Abiding Immigrants (none / 0) (#9)
    by Patrick on Wed Mar 02, 2005 at 10:36:39 AM EST
    Boquisucio, Don't you realize that they are not illegal aliens, we are the illegal aliens, seizing our current property rights illegally from the american indians and using slave labor to build our riches. How can you be so blind and uncaring.... /end sarcasm I'm all for ankle bracelets, but I'd rather build more detention centers to hold them until we can drive/fly/swim/boat them to their native country. Want to come to America? Come the legal way! I'll be the first to welcome you. Otherwise, stay where you are.

    Re: Ankle Bracelets for Law- Abiding Immigrants (none / 0) (#10)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Wed Mar 02, 2005 at 10:50:32 AM EST
    From this: As part of their effort, ICE already has introduced "Operation Compliance," which seeks to identify foreign nationals who have lost an immigration appeal and were ordered removed. Begun in Connecticut and now operating in Atlanta and Denver, the program puts ICE agents in the courtroom to take into custody those who lose their immigration appeal. Those detained remain in custody at ICE detention centers until their appeals are exhausted or they post bail. The program addresses the fact that fewer than 15 percent of those aliens ordered to an immigration hearing ever appear.

    Re: Ankle Bracelets for Law- Abiding Immigrants (none / 0) (#11)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Wed Mar 02, 2005 at 11:47:18 AM EST
    If this is strictly used as an alternative to detention, it's much better than what we have now. It's more humane than being kept in an INS jail, and would actually allow you to prepare your asylum claim--gather evidence, learn a bit about the legal requirements, hopefully speak to an attorney. If it is extended further than that--e.g. to people who entered illegally but voluntarily applied for asylum--I'll be extremely, extremely disturbed. If it is extended to all non-citizens, including those who are compliance with immigration as well as criminal laws, including legal permanent residents like my stepfather, I will be horrified. So it needs to be watched carefully. But if used strictly as an alternative to detention, this is a positive change.

    Re: Ankle Bracelets for Law- Abiding Immigrants (none / 0) (#12)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Wed Mar 02, 2005 at 12:03:53 PM EST
    Don't you realize that they are not illegal aliens, we are the illegal aliens, seizing our current property rights illegally from the american indians and using slave labor to build our riches. How can you be so blind and uncaring.... /end truth

    Re: Ankle Bracelets for Law- Abiding Immigrants (none / 0) (#13)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Wed Mar 02, 2005 at 12:04:19 PM EST
    Don't you realize that they are not illegal aliens, we are the illegal aliens, seizing our current property rights illegally from the american indians and using slave labor to build our riches. How can you be so blind and uncaring.... /end truth

    Re: Ankle Bracelets for Law- Abiding Immigrants (none / 0) (#14)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Wed Mar 02, 2005 at 12:14:22 PM EST
    "Come the legal way or stay home" is unfortunately not the real message America is sending. Various industries, especially construction and farming, ABSOLUTELY RELY on the ultr-cheap cost of illegal imigrant labor. Lets not even go into childcare. We American citizens are benfiting economically in myriad ways from the illegals. If they were all gone tomorrow, you and your wallet would both notice. You might say its worth it, but please understand that the resource allocation on sealing the borders is very low, and that fact is an implicit indication that the USA wants and encourages illegal immigration.

    Re: Ankle Bracelets for Law- Abiding Immigrants (none / 0) (#15)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Wed Mar 02, 2005 at 12:30:53 PM EST
    Katherine, Our positions are not too far apart. As a strict alternative to detention, I do not have a problem to this program. Where we depart is that, Illegal Immigrants who voluntarily apply for asylum sometimes qualify for detention (depending on their individual case). However if this program is expanded a single inch beyond its current scope, I will be the first one to angrily decry it. Patrick, and Posted by at March 2, 2005 01:03 PM. Please give better forethought to your arguements. They require more cooking.

    Re: Ankle Bracelets for Law- Abiding Immigrants (none / 0) (#16)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Wed Mar 02, 2005 at 12:40:42 PM EST
    Hey, Lonewacko, how come you banned me from offering contrary opinions on your own blog, yet you keep posting here? Inquiring minds wanna know.

    Re: Ankle Bracelets for Law- Abiding Immigrants (none / 0) (#17)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Wed Mar 02, 2005 at 12:43:09 PM EST
    Whoops, I see, you've changed locations. Sorry about that.

    Re: Ankle Bracelets for Law- Abiding Immigrants (none / 0) (#18)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Wed Mar 02, 2005 at 02:37:03 PM EST
    "Come the legal way or stay home" is unfortunately not the real message America is sending. That depends on how you define "America." If you define "America" as the corrupt left and right elite that profits off illegal immigration, that's true. However, around 75% of U.S. citizens - Republicans and Democrats - oppose illegal immigration.

    Re: Ankle Bracelets for Law- Abiding Immigrants (none / 0) (#19)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Wed Mar 02, 2005 at 02:48:17 PM EST
    around 75% of U.S. citizens - Republicans and Democrats - oppose illegal immigration.
    The funny thing is, it's SO easy to solve. If we got serious about penalties for hiring illegal immigrants and offered a bounty and green card to illegal immigrants for turning in their employers, there would be one quick turnaround in hiring practices. We allow private parties to benefit from turning in lawbreakers in lots of other areas of the law (e.g., Federal False Claims Act), so why not this one? Answer, because too many major party contributors would get caught with their hands in the cookie jar.

    Re: Ankle Bracelets for Law- Abiding Immigrants (none / 0) (#20)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Wed Mar 02, 2005 at 03:10:17 PM EST
    around 75% of U.S. citizens - Republicans and Democrats - oppose illegal immigration. But many big businesses are opposed to tightening enforcement of immigration laws. They like the cheap labor. Even if they do not knowingly hire illegal immigrants, pay is kept low in some businesses by the supply of illegal immigrants. A number of years ago I knew a Mexican who worked as a chef in an expensive restaurant. While he said he was here legally, he said half the employees at the restaurant were illegal, although they all had fake green cards. The owner of the restaurant was a big supporter of Pete Wilson, the governor of California and author of the anti-illegal immigrant prop 187. The owner of the restaurant once hosted a private dinner at his house for Pete Wilson using some of his restaurant employees to prepare the meal in his house. Many of them were illegal immigrants and they were joking with each other in the kitchen about poisoning Pete Wilson’s food, in Spanish, of course. Apparently, the governor’s security people couldn’t speak Spanish.

    Re: Ankle Bracelets for Law- Abiding Immigrants (none / 0) (#21)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Wed Mar 02, 2005 at 03:39:08 PM EST
    TL: If you read the report, it deals with illegals and immigrants who enter legally but then overstay, becoming illegal.

    Re: Ankle Bracelets for Law- Abiding Immigrants (none / 0) (#22)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Wed Mar 02, 2005 at 04:28:04 PM EST
    As someone who works for a public agency in a border state, I can tell you that we spend a great deal of our time aiding and dealing with illegal immigrants. I would also disagree that people would cross the border for public assistance programs, but once here, I believe they are just as likely to take advantage of them. From my vantage point, the theory of allowing illegal immigration on humanitarian grounds fails on two counts: one, that it ensures a steady stream of human traffic through brutal wilderness and subject to the human predators who thrive on this trade; and two, that those individuals we are sworn to help (i.e. the local citizenry) have more difficulty in obtaining assistance, and few resources to assist them. Please consider this the next time we want to place the blame on another doorstep.

    Re: Ankle Bracelets for Law- Abiding Immigrants (none / 0) (#23)
    by jimcee on Wed Mar 02, 2005 at 04:42:35 PM EST
    The report on NPR is very misleading by using the term "immigrants" as opposed to the appropriate term "illegal aliens" because they are infected by the language destroying effects of "political correctness". PC ruins accuracy in language and sets the stage for idiots to scream bloody murder every time they hear a story like this and NPR is ripe with this Orwellian nonsense. I would suggest that anyone who is interested in the corroding effects of PC read Christopher Hitchens' "Why Orwell Matters". In other words don't believe everything you read or for that matter hear on NPR without a proper prospective and lots of sourcing.

    Re: Ankle Bracelets for Law- Abiding Immigrants (none / 0) (#24)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Wed Mar 02, 2005 at 05:24:30 PM EST
    I think it's very amusing when a backer of the Bush administration starts screaming about terminology, impartial news sources, or anything to do with George Orwell for that matter. Look in the mirror, much? But am I genuinely curious -- who are what do you think is a good source of news? Newsmax? Actually, you probably won't like them any better. They use the term "illegal immigrants"... and sometimes, just plain old "immigrants"! Getting back to the subject at hand... these technologies do have their way of finding themselves in the mainstream, and the temptation to use them for all sorts of things that perhaps they shouldn't is great. Screaming "but they're illegal aliens!" isn't enough. We need to consider all the implications.

    Re: Ankle Bracelets for Law- Abiding Immigrants (none / 0) (#25)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Wed Mar 02, 2005 at 05:52:58 PM EST
    They could save so much money if they'd just require these people to wear a colored emblem on the front of their clothing. That way everyone would know who they are and we could all watch them. Hasn't this been tried before? I think Jay Leno said it best -- put Blockbuster in charge of INS. Within hours of a visa expiring, they'll be hot on the trail.

    Re: Ankle Bracelets for Law- Abiding Immigrants (none / 0) (#26)
    by scarshapedstar on Wed Mar 02, 2005 at 06:24:14 PM EST
    First they came for the immigrants.

    Re: Ankle Bracelets for Law- Abiding Immigrants (none / 0) (#27)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Wed Mar 02, 2005 at 07:01:55 PM EST
    TrueBlue & Scar, Please spare us all the Henny-Penny shrill. As I stated in my prior posts, this is a limited program focused strictly on those Illegal Immigrants, who are in the process of Removal from this Country. If I'd be an inch broader, I would have serious reservations against it. But it's not.

    Re: Ankle Bracelets for Law- Abiding Immigrants (none / 0) (#28)
    by jimcee on Wed Mar 02, 2005 at 07:05:07 PM EST
    Webmacher, Nice snark there fella'. I don't blindly back Bush, there are many things I disagree with in his administration but I do back his War on Terror. There is a difference between an "immigrant" and an "illegal immigrant" as any primary school child could tell. Something about that modifier, "illegal". Oddly, my German neighbor stopped me this morning and asked if I had heard of this Bush plan to make him wear an ankle bracelet in order for him to stay in the US. He told me that this would be for all people born in another country. He was really upset. When I asked him where he heard this story he told me it was on NPR earlier. I hadn't heard the story at that point but I assured him he must be mistaken and don't worry about it. Then I found the story here on TL and read/listened to it on NPR and it said no such thing but used language that implied that it was "immigrants", (no "illegal" modifier). Why no context? If you think that this fellow is some uneducated smuck you would be wrong as he is an adjunct faculty member at a private college in my area. German is his first language but he teaches in English to English speakers so he knows the language and he misinterpreted what the report actually meant, although he take it literally. So if you don't believe that language is important then you are a fool but then again perhaps you're correct and language doesn't matter one iota. I guess we should just go back to the old way of doing this immigration stuff; if you're here illegally and get caught we'll just put you in jail till we get around to tossing you out, no matter how long it takes. Although I do think that cracking down on those people who employ illegals would be a good start.

    Re: Ankle Bracelets for Law- Abiding Immigrants (none / 0) (#29)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Wed Mar 02, 2005 at 07:39:50 PM EST
    Boq: I'm sure "Henny-Penny shrill" was what folks in Warsaw said at first, too. Those who don't remember history are doomed to repeat it. You can't blow this off as no concern because it's just illegal immigrants. Scar raises a good point. We're talking about incrementalism. Start at the fringes and work you way in. Once people accept a change at the fringe, you now have a new fringe. We could then expand the program to put ankle bracelets on anyone deemed "risky." How about convicted felons? Anyone with a restraining order? Pedophiles? Spouse abusers? Who's going to complain about putting an ankle bracelet on a pedophile? What about a student who has a brother locked up for terrorism in a Saudi prison? How about someone who's made threats against the government? What about someone who's threatened the President? What about someone who spoke very badly about him? You get the point. If you give a mouse a cookie, he'll want a glass of milk.

    Re: Ankle Bracelets for Law- Abiding Immigrants (none / 0) (#30)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Wed Mar 02, 2005 at 09:18:35 PM EST
    PS Boq: If you think I'm being alarmist about this, type "manzanar" into Google and start reading. It can (and did) happen here, and recently enough that people who experienced it are still among us. 110,000 people deprived of their property and sent to camps simply because they were of Japanese ancestry -- and it happened through an executive order from a DEMOCRAT. Party affiliation doesn't innoculate leadership from responding to hysteria, or prevent a worried public from allowing them to do it. People have done some bad things in history out of paranoia.

    Re: Ankle Bracelets for Law- Abiding Immigrants (none / 0) (#31)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Thu Mar 03, 2005 at 04:35:16 AM EST
    Linked from here.

    Re: Ankle Bracelets for Law- Abiding Immigrants (none / 0) (#32)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Thu Mar 03, 2005 at 06:58:33 AM EST
    jimcee, I appreciate that you wouldn't have this program apply to those who you term as "illegal," but I don't think you are listening to the critics, including your own neighbor who is worried that this plan could easily be applied to ALL non-Citizens. Furthermore, "illegal" is a term that may include a legal permanent residents with a minor criminal conviction, legitimate asylum seekers or legal entrants who are currently in proceedings - they aren't "illegal" yet because their cases aren't resolved and they are not subject to a final order of exclusion, deportation or removal - yet people in these circumstances can also be forced to wear the bracelet. Another possibility it seems you haven't considered is that your lovable, professional German neighbor is actually one of those "illegals" himself. Obviously, your adjunct-professor, English-teacher neighbor has more comprehension abilities than the average immigrant, but he sees the danger that he will be eventually forced to wear a bracelet. And although this program may or may not apply to him yet, it's absurd to claim that the regs couldn't be re-written after the next attack to include legal permanent residents. Mandatory detention was not the "old way" -- keeping aliens in jail throughout the proceedings was the exception under the old system, and mandatory detention has only been the "rule" since 1996. The idea that we're going to put 10 million people in jail while we wait for them to exhaust their defenses and appeals, and then while we wait for their consulates to issue travel documents so we can send them back well...that's why no serious elected officials support that solution.

    Re: Ankle Bracelets for Law- Abiding Immigrants (none / 0) (#33)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Thu Mar 03, 2005 at 11:01:43 AM EST
    My son's dad is a foreign national here on a temporary green card. There was an error on the paperwork to apply for permanent status (I don't understand all the nuances) and his renewal process has been postponed for a year due to INS backlog. It makes sense under the current thinking that he should wear an ankle bracelet until INS gets around to him. That way he could pay the price for bureau incompetence. I'm sure his boss at work wouldn't judge him for wearing a criminal tracking device at all, being a security guard and everything. And surely it would make it that much easier for police to "know" that he was a troublemaker, being profiled already saves the cop the trouble. And can you take these things off for sex? How degrading. How offensive and unnecesary.

    Re: Ankle Bracelets for Law- Abiding Immigrants (none / 0) (#34)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Thu Mar 03, 2005 at 11:07:58 AM EST
    This is another typical White House smokescreen plan. Plan A. Gee Social Security is in crisis. We don't want to tackle that, but while it's in crisis, we have a great idea we've been thinking about that might just float if people are scared enough. Plan B. Gee, Immigration is in crisis (we don't know if terrorists are getting in illegally). We actually suck at targeting terrorism, but while folks are scared of immigrants blowing them up, we have this great idea we can float if folks are scared enough. No Comprende - Your points are well taken. Can you explain to me why we can't - or what we can do to secure our borders? I don't consider people criminals for wanting a better life or trying to escape persecution, but we, of course, don't have the resources to let everybody in. So why can't we stop them at the border?

    Re: Ankle Bracelets for Law- Abiding Immigrants (none / 0) (#35)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Thu Mar 03, 2005 at 12:43:29 PM EST
    Re: Ankle Bracelets for Law- Abiding Immigrants (none / 0) (#36)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Thu Mar 03, 2005 at 06:41:48 PM EST
    Law Abiding Illegal Alien. Ha, that's a contradiction in terms.

    Re: Ankle Bracelets for Law- Abiding Immigrants (none / 0) (#37)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Fri Mar 04, 2005 at 02:38:59 AM EST
    I suspect that Americans are silent on this issue for several reasons. They don't know about it. If they know, they don't care. If they know and care, they don't believe speaking out will accomplish anything. They know, they care, and they believe it might accomplish something--despite all evidence to the contrary--but they're tired of speaking out, writing letters, carrying signs in the street, and being ignored or worse by the media and their countrymen. All of the above, but add the fear of retribution by a vengeful White House. This sums up the state of American public opinion on a number of issues, I think.

    Re: Ankle Bracelets for Law- Abiding Immigrants (none / 0) (#38)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Fri Mar 04, 2005 at 11:05:36 AM EST
    I think that what they r doing to the illegal immgrants its inhuman, we are not animals, and i believe that if we all immgrants leave this country, you will want us back