Immigration and Customs Enforcement has begun fitting Haitians in Ohio with electronic ankle monitors rather than detaining them in federal facilities, marking a significant shift in how the agency handles the more than 300,000 Haitians who lost their protected status following a Supreme Court decision last June.
Immigration attorneys report that their Haitian clients have been receiving notices from ICE requiring them to appear for in-person check-ins. At these appointments, individuals are fitted with ankle monitors that track their movements within a 75-mile radius of their homes while immigration judges determine whether they have legitimate grounds to remain in the country, such as asylum claims.
The policy change stems from a practical reality: the federal government lacks sufficient detention space to house hundreds of thousands of individuals simultaneously. A senior Department of Homeland Security official confirmed that capacity constraints drove the decision to employ electronic monitoring rather than traditional detention.
Katie Kersh, an immigration attorney with the Ohio-based law firm Advocates for Basic Legal Equality, described the initial concern among legal advocates. “We were really worried that this was going to be a mass enforcement, mass detention operation,” she said. Instead, her clients received letters mandating check-ins with ICE. At those appointments, individuals were arrested but released with monitoring devices rather than held in detention facilities.
The Department of Homeland Security declined to provide specific details about the monitoring program. A spokesperson stated that the agency does not discuss ongoing or future operations.
This development represents the latest policy adjustment under DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin, who assumed leadership of the department in March. The approach may create friction with President Donald Trump, whose administration has consistently favored detention over alternative monitoring programs. Stephen Miller, the architect of Trump’s immigration policy, has publicly advocated for holding immigrants in detention facilities rather than releasing them with electronic monitoring.
The electronic monitoring program was significantly expanded during the Biden administration as an alternative to detention. The devices allow immigrants to remain in their communities while their legal cases proceed through the immigration court system.
Secretary Mullin has already encountered tension with the White House. Last month, he drew criticism from President Trump after announcing a halt to vehicle pursuits by ICE following fatal shootings. Multiple administration officials have indicated growing friction between the White House and Mullin, though there appears to be no immediate plan to replace him.
Temporary Protected Status is a humanitarian program established by Congress that permits individuals from countries experiencing war, natural disasters, or other extraordinary circumstances to live and work legally in the United States on a temporary basis. The Supreme Court’s June decision allowed the Trump administration to terminate these protections for Haitians who had been living in the country under the program.
The situation remains fluid as immigration courts work through a substantial backlog of cases. The use of ankle monitors represents a middle ground between immediate deportation and indefinite detention, though it remains uncertain whether this approach will continue to satisfy the administration’s immigration enforcement priorities.
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