Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has recently ended two programs that provide social services to illegal immigrants who are released into the U.S. interior. One of the programs, the Wraparound Stabilization Service (WSS) was ineffective and costly according to ICE, while another program, the Young Adult Case Management (YACMP), did not align with ICE’s mission. ICE cited budget challenges as the reason for terminating these programs, which were meant to offer assistance to illegal immigrants not in detention.
The Alternatives to Detention (ATD) program, which monitors illegal immigrants not in ICE detention, has been defended by ICE as an efficient and effective way to keep track of this group of individuals. Approximately 181,000 individuals are enrolled in the program, where migrants are monitored through app check-ins or GPS devices. However, ICE has also decided to end other programs who offer various services and assistance to those not in detention due to budget constraints and lack of alignment with the agency’s mission.
The Intensive Supervision Appearance Program (ISAP) within the ATD program has seen success with a high percentage of participants appearing at their court hearings. However, ICE did report that there have been charges and convictions for participants in the ATD program, including serious offenses such as sex offenses, homicide, and kidnapping. Despite these challenges, ICE has still found the program to be effective overall.
The incoming Trump administration is looking to increase deportations and reduce the number of illegal immigrants who are unmonitored, with a focus on increasing the use of ankle monitors for those who cannot be detained. Conservatives have called for further cuts to programs providing services for illegal immigrants, arguing that ICE’s primary mission is law enforcement, not social services. Advocates for increased resources for detaining and deporting illegal immigrants believe that taxpayer dollars should not be spent on programs that do not align with the agency’s mission.
Lora Ries, director of the Heritage Foundation’s Border Security and Immigration Center, criticized the programs providing services to illegal immigrants as a waste of taxpayer dollars and called for a redirection of resources towards detaining and deporting individuals who are in the country illegally. Ries believes that other similar initiatives should also be terminated under the new administration. Ultimately, the debate over whether ICE should focus solely on law enforcement or continue to provide social services to illegal immigrants not in detention remains a contentious issue.
