The US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) electronic surveillance program is now tracking nearly 54,000 immigrants using GPS-enabled ankle monitors. This figure, reported by private prison corporation The Geo Group, marks a substantial rise from approximately 17,000 immigrants wearing these devices early last year.
The Geo Group, which owns BI Inc., the company operating ICE’s intensive supervision appearance program (ISAP), announced these numbers during its earnings call on Thursday. Executives noted that while the overall number of immigrants in the surveillance program remained stable at around 184,000, many participants were moved from less intensive methods, such as phone check-ins, to ankle monitors.
This shift to ankle monitors, described by the company as a “high-security level of monitoring,” has increased The Geo Group's revenues. Ankle monitors cost ICE more than other surveillance technologies, with the company charging over $2 a day per monitor, compared to about $0.96 for the SmartLink app. George Zoley, Geo Group chairman and CEO, stated that if this trend continues, the change in technology and case management mix will further increase revenues and earnings under the ISAP contract.
A memo obtained by the Washington Post indicates that ICE directed agents in June 2025 to transfer more immigrants in ISAP to the ankle monitor program. In response, immigration advocacy groups filed a class action lawsuit against ICE in June, alleging that this “ankle monitors for all” policy imposes continuous GPS monitoring without individualized justification.