The Biden administration is discreetly working to swiftly put into effect new policies that will loosen restrictions on migrants who entered the US illegally. This is seen as a final effort to counter President-elect Donald Trump’s immigration crackdowns and the mass deportations, according to sources familiar with the matter.
New York City will serve as the epicenter for these transformations.
The outgoing administration plans to introduce an ICE Portal app in early December in New York City. This app will enable migrants to avoid the need for in-person check-ins at their local ICE office.
According to sources from Homeland Security, the application will facilitate the escape of migrants from authorities, primarily due to the app’s known issues with glitches and unreliability.
The new app, even in its functioning state, fails to verify past arrests or outstanding warrants, which is a feature that the current system, linked to in-person appointments, possesses, as per sources.
According to sources, the first wave of the program is expected to enroll up to 100,000 migrants.
Before inauguration day, there are several initiatives being pushed through, one of which includes giving migrants the opportunity to challenge government orders to undergo electronic tracking while they await their immigration appointments.
Rolling back the policies may not be as straightforward as Trump simply using his pen, as experts have pointed out. The process could face various procedural hurdles and potential legal challenges.
According to a source from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), numerous lawsuits are often filed, potentially without merit, which can significantly impede the progress of the administration’s objectives.
Former acting Customs and Border Protection Commissioner, Mark Morgan, strongly criticized the last-minute actions of the Biden administration, stating that they were far from being a peaceful transition of power.
Morgan criticized the transition as obstructive.
“They will attempt to obstruct and create obstacles on their way out by deploying various tactics and causing chaos.”
According to Morgan, court challenges could potentially slow down Trump’s efforts to abolish the new Biden policies. He points out that these challenges were successful in mitigating the impact of Trump’s immigration policies during his first administration.
New York City’s field office, where the app will be introduced, is already facing the challenge of an overwhelming number of undocumented immigrants wandering the streets, putting a strain on ICE resources.
An illegal migrant, who was deported before standing trial for a 125 mph drunken crash that resulted in the death of three individuals, is now being sought by prosecutors to bring him back to the United States.
According to a document previously reviewed by The Post, as of early last year, the office had already filled up its appointment schedule until October 2032 for processing migrants released into the US.
According to a recent report from City Hall, over 223,000 migrants have arrived in the city since the start of the migrant crisis. Currently, there are still more than 58,000 migrants residing in city-funded shelters, which are being supported by taxpayers.
According to sources, the Biden administration is moving forward with the launch of the app, despite encountering significant problems during its pilot program testing in multiple cities.
According to sources, the app has been ineffective on Android phones. Additionally, when used on a laptop for check-ins, it fails to gather the GPS location of the participant, allowing them to report in from any location.
When you use the app on your phone, it will only share the subject’s location for a duration of seven days.
Under the current system, migrants are required to provide evidence of their current address. However, the proposed database would eliminate this requirement. Additionally, the database would continuously scan for arrest records of migrants nationwide, notifying ICE officers even if individuals fail to attend their appointments.
The system enables ICE to take a more proactive approach towards apprehending migrants, even if they are currently residing in a sanctuary city like New York.
According to sources, the app and the existing migrant tracking database do not have communication capabilities, which poses a challenge for ICE in monitoring migrant criminals.
According to a source familiar with the matter, it is crucial to obtain information on individuals who have not appeared in court, as they may have evaded the legal process and received a final order of removal. This data is essential in order to initiate the search for these individuals.
But the updates don’t end there.
The Biden administration is attempting to quietly relax regulations on electronic monitoring of released migrants, including the use of ankle bracelets, through ICE’s “Alternatives to Detention” program.
According to a source, the proposed changes will grant migrants additional rights that will enable them to challenge and contest monitoring and tracking.
According to the source, if the program is implemented, migrants will have the option to request a review at any time. During this review, they can demand that the process of minoring be either downgraded or completely terminated.
According to a source, the alien is granted the power to completely exit the program.
According to another source, the recent revisions allow migrants to request to be “de-escalated” from monitoring if they are in compliance with the program. In the event that ICE officers deny the request, the migrant can then proceed with a lengthy appeals process.
According to an unnamed source, the current approach is resulting in excessive administrative paperwork, which poses a burden on employees. Many employees may perceive this as an overwhelming amount of work and as a result, they might choose to be terminated from the program instead of going through the appeal process.
ICE did not provide an immediate response when contacted for comment.
