Migrants in New York City will soon be able to bypass in-person check-ins at their local Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) office, Homeland Security sources reportedly told the New York Post. Currently, asylum-seekers awaiting a court hearing must regularly report in person at their local ICE office.
The database for the current system flags arrest warrants for migrants to ICE officials.
The outgoing Biden administration is allegedly loosening those restrictions. The administration is also planning to launch a new ICE app where migrants can check-in virtually.
Homeland Security sources told the Post the new ICE app is reportedly “glitchy” and “unreliable.” They believe it will make it easier for migrants to flee.
Immigration officials will enroll up to 100,000 migrants in New York City in the new system before President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration.
The Biden administration is also looking to implement an initiative allowing migrants to challenge orders for electronic tracking while awaiting their immigration hearings, the Post said.
Former Acting Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Mark Morgan told the paper the last-minute move is “the opposite of a peaceful transition of power,” calling it an “obstructionist transition.”
“What they’re trying to do in the last final day, they’re going to try to put up as many roadblocks and obstacles and throw as many grenades as they can on their way out,” Morgan said.
Ed Cuccia, a New York City immigration attorney, told The Telegraph he had clients use the piloted app when it was being tested earlier this year. He said he doesn’t think the system will change much, calling in-person check-ins “a bit of a joke.”
He said, either way, the immigration system is backlogged, with some of his clients not receiving court dates until 2032.
Trump has said he plans to carry out mass deportations when he returns to office.
