Immigrant Tracking bracelet

[RC]

I heard this story on NPR the other day and I'm curious to know what you all think.

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.

NPR text

In contrast, the UK made this decision on similar issue:

The Government’s controversial new anti-terrorism powers suffered a fresh mauling tonight as the House of Lords voted that all “control orders” imposed on terror suspects under the legislation must be issued by a judge.

Peers voted by 249 to 119 – a majority of 130 – in favour of a Liberal Democrat amendment removing the power of the Home Secretary to issue the orders authorising a range of restrictions including tagging, curfews and telephone bans.

The Scotsman

[piqaboo]

Cool, I get new jewelry!

:gagging icon:

[Selma in Sandy Eggo]

Originally posted by piqaboo:
Cool, I get new jewelry!

:gagging icon:

Is it from Martha's jeweler?

<small>[ 03-07-2005, 03:36 PM: Message edited by: Selma in Sandy Eggo ]</small>

[Trumpetmaster]

Originally posted by Selma in Sandy Eggo:

Originally posted by piqaboo:
[b] Cool, I get new jewelry!

:gagging icon:

Is it from Martha's jeweler? [/b]

Now Selma..........

Cymbal Crash and Fanfare!!!!

[RC]

So, what is this supposed to accomplish? I seriously don't get it and I'm feeling pretty stupid. There must be something I'm missing.

Go ahead and point me in the right direction. Anybody, anybody....

[piqaboo]

Creation of a police state?
I expect it would cost more to issue and monitor the bracelets than each immigrant uses in publich services such as medical care, education for their children etc. At least the education is covered by the rent they pay (when they can afford to pay rent). How will we tax the immigrants so as to pay for their own bracelets etc?

OH, I know! Make 'em pay a license fee for the right to wear one of the bracelets! I think San Diego already has the infrastructure for just that!

[Selma in Sandy Eggo]

The bracelets work like a lo-jack, right? transmit their location when queried by a home station? I'm pretty sure the lo-jack on the car doesn't cost a huge amount of money.

There's also a service that will sell a family the people-lo-jack and its home station. Useful for intractable wandering Alzheimer's patients and suchlike.

[zlosin]

This has been tried before but is easily defeated by wearing one of these


<img src="http://www.foutz.net/blog/images/tinFoilHat.gif" alt=" - " />

image shown is not a real person

[RC]

Originally posted by Selma in Sandy Eggo:
The bracelets work like a lo-jack, right? transmit their location when queried by a home station? I'm pretty sure the lo-jack on the car doesn't cost a huge amount of money.

There's also a service that will sell a family the people-lo-jack and its home station. Useful for intractable wandering Alzheimer's patients and suchlike.

I'm not sure if it works like that or not. They are allowed so many hours outside their residence for work during the day. If they leave the house after or before that time starts, an alarm is sent to the monitoring company and the wearer is picked up.

They are also required to make a physical appearance during the day to some kind of paroll officer type person - check-in. If they don't make it in time, they are picked up.

But they aren't putting these on illegal immigrants. They're putting these monitors on folks who are trying to get legal through the courts. Obviously it would be pretty hard to impliment the other way around and if you could tag 'em, then you could ship 'em out.

See, this is where I have the logic disconnect and I just know I'm thinking too shallowly. Punish those trying to do it legally and grant amnesty to those that don't...???
And what good does this do for homeland security?
Just seems like a sadistic little experiment to me.

[RC]

[quote]Originally posted by PSIP:
[b] This has been tried before but is easily defeated by wearing one of these

[piqaboo]

Each lo-jack doesnt have to cost much. But someone gets paid to monitor them, some one gets paid to track down one that goes "out of area", etc. From whence cometh that money?

And what (unstated by NPR) are the criteria for being issued the martha-jewelry? Asking for an extension of a visa? Ooooh, so then dont ask. Just stay.

I am completely unclear on why & how these things are supposed to solve what problem.

For alzheimer's patients, my small child, my dog, my car - I get it, and I pay the cost. For my indian co-worker's mother-in-law, who lives off his salary, has health care thru his insurance and who provides day care for his kids, how hard is she going to be to track down, if she doesnt leave the country on time? And how is she going to be issued that bracelet, if she doesnt ask for an extension, she just keeps on keeping house for her daughter and SIL? Wouldnt they have to track her down? and having done so, couldnt they just deport her then, since thats what the bracelet seems to be about?
I'll need to do more reading as the NPR article leaves out too many details.

Given the choice of donating my money (via the hand of the US govt reaching into my pocket, to borrow an analogy from some other posters), I'd rather donate it to universal health care / insurance.

How many folks posting on this board know personally or knew an illegal immigrant? What nationality? Age? Gender? Means of arrival in US? Am curious, having known several. Some illegal temporarily while paperwork was cleared up, some long term. None hispanic. None with less than 2 years of college education. Ages 20-45+, both genders. One came in via Canada. Others came on student or H1B's and didnt leave. Belgian. Australian. Persian. Indian.

[zlosin]

LOL RC,

The ACLU will never sit for this one.
Not to mention that I don't believe US citizens will tolerate it either.
This idea stinks.

[piqaboo]

RC - looks like you and I had another case of concurrent posting!

If I apply to become legal, and get a bracelet, does that mean I can't be out of the house to go grocery shopping, or to the mall? Wouldnt that hamper my ability to contribute to the local economy and tax base?

We're on a tight budget - maybe I need one.

PSIP - you give the great american public much more credit that I do. Its a good thing to see.
I hear the rants about illegals in our schools etc and I get scared. Thanks for the other perspective.

[OperaTenor]

The NPR article cites criticism of overstating and misrepresenting the problem and its extent.

Taking a page form Shos' book: If it was stated by a Bush administration official, then it's a lie.

Perhaps the manufacturer of the bracelets is GOP contributor?

[haggis]

Well, considering NPR’s liberal bias you have to ask yourself one questions. Are all immigrants the same? And, of course, the answer is no.

I'm more interested in what's not being said. By law, many of the immigrants eligible for the bracelets are required to be detained in local lock-ups indefinitely (a legacy of the Clinton era Congress) while their hearings can drag on for years.

So, if the bracelets are in lieu of being locked up (which I suspect is the case), I suspect the bracelet would be preferably to being locked up, but I might be wrong.

[piqaboo]

I have to find the coverage in the SD UT. Its such a contrast to NPR, that between them, the coverage is almost balanced and complete.

What would be perfect contrast is the SDUT and the Miami Herald but I dont have time to read two papers each day. I only get to nibble at the one.

Hi Haggis. Good ta see ya.

[Nicole Marie]

The real issue is we need to protect our boarders better and not let illegal immigrants in. Those that come here legally (like my family) should not be treated like a criminal and be lo-jacked.

The money spend on this program could go to better use. Oh like... more boarder guards, better boarders etc.

[Selma in Sandy Eggo]

Mandatory spelling, vocabulary, and grammar classes. Border/boarder.

Nobody is suggesting any sanctions against legal resident aliens. The issue is an alternative to managing the illegal aliens that are seeking to remain in the US by various means.

If you have any useful, practical ideas about improving the borders, the INS would be pleased to hear them.

[piqaboo]

I would like better boarders. Ones that pay higher rent would qualify by my standards.

Must read up more on this proposal. Languishing in jail is bad for people. Bad for families. Bad for tax base. Bad for jail. Jewelry sounds bad too. What happens if bejeweled one wanders astray? Can bejeweled one get permission to set new "zone" if needed due to job relocation etc? How do those who languish in jail hold jobs now?
So confused. Must read more. Then will have kneejerk reaction anyway. Most amusing.

[OperaTenor]

Originally posted by Selma in Sandy Eggo:

If you have any useful, practical ideas about improving the borders, the INS would be pleased to hear them.

Yes, I have one: Go after the reason the illegals come over instead of the illegals. Take away the incentive to come over. It's cheaper and more effective, and fewer lives are lost.

When it comes to the "gotta hire illegals because no one else is willing to do that kind of work for that kind of money" argument, I thought the old migrant farm worker program worked just fine - I wonder what happened to it?

We don't enact an effective program because we don't really want to stop illegal immigration. The majority of illegals get through, and the revolving door game the INS plays with border crossers is nothing but political grandstanding to placate the masses(while wasting tax dollars).
This 22 mile fence on the Tijuana border is a perfect example. The U.S./Mexico border is how long? And we put up a 22 mile fence, starting at the Pacific ocean(you really have to see it to believe it - it runs out into the water - all one has to do is swim out 75 ft and swim around it) to stem the tide of illegals. All it does is force them to cross further inland(and they do), making it more dangerous for them to cross(so many of them die), and more dangerous for us to apprehend/RESCUE them.

INS border agents are fine, intelligent, talented people, who implement the policies and programs they are directed to very well. I think we could so much better use their talents and skills than we do now.