Key Findings
- Cost differential: Immigration detention costs $140-300/day (US), £91/day (UK), AUD$310/day (Australia). GPS monitoring costs $4-15/day — a 90-97% reduction across all jurisdictions.
- Compliance: ICE ATD court appearance rates range from 83% (GPS tier) to 99% (smartphone app tier). UK FNO monitoring shows 78-85% compliance with bail conditions.
- Scale: ICE ATD supervises 100,000+ individuals. The US program alone is larger than most countries’ entire domestic EM programs.
- Technology tier effectiveness: Smartphone check-in (lowest cost) produces the highest appearance rates because it monitors the lowest-risk population. GPS ankle monitors (highest cost) are reserved for higher-risk individuals with correspondingly lower but still substantial compliance rates.
Global Immigration Detention Costs
| Country | Detention Cost/Day | EM Cost/Day | Savings |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States (ICE) | $140-300 | $4-15 | 90-97% |
| United Kingdom | £91 ($115) | £5-20 ($6-25) | 78-95% |
| Australia | AUD$310 ($200) | AUD$15-50 ($10-32) | 84-95% |
| Belgium | €160 ($175) | €10-25 ($11-27) | 84-94% |
US Program: ICE Alternatives to Detention (ATD) Analysis
Program Scale
ICE’s ISAP program has grown dramatically:
- FY2020: ~90,000 participants
- FY2022: ~280,000 participants (including SmartLINK expansion)
- FY2024: ~100,000-150,000 active participants (varies with policy changes)
Compliance Data by Tier
| Tier | Technology | Cost/Day | Court Appearance Rate | Absconding Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SmartLINK (app) | Smartphone facial recognition check-in | $4-7 | 93-99% | 3-5% |
| Telephonic | Scheduled phone reporting | $2-5 | 88-95% | 5-8% |
| GPS | Ankle monitor with geofencing | $8-15 | 83-89% | 8-14% |
Important context: higher compliance in the SmartLINK tier does not mean the app is a better technology than GPS. It reflects population selection — low-risk individuals are assigned to SmartLINK, while higher-risk individuals (prior absconders, criminal history) are assigned to GPS. The GPS tier’s 83-89% compliance rate for a higher-risk population represents strong performance.
Cost-Benefit Analysis
For the GPS tier (highest cost EM option):
- Detention cost avoided: $140-300/day per person
- GPS monitoring cost incurred: $8-15/day
- Net savings: $125-285/day per person
- For 10,000 GPS-monitored individuals: $456 million – $1.04 billion annual savings
UK Program Analysis
The UK Home Office’s GPS tagging program for foreign national offenders (FNOs) and immigration detainees on bail provides complementary data:
- Population: FNOs awaiting deportation; immigration bail cases
- Technology: GPS ankle monitors with exclusion zones (transportation hubs, ports)
- Compliance: 78-85% compliance with bail conditions
- Key challenge: GDPR compliance requirements add data governance overhead not present in US programs
- Notable feature: UK program includes mandatory vulnerability assessments before monitoring is imposed — a practice that other jurisdictions should consider adopting
Technology Selection for Immigration Programs
Immigration monitoring requires a tiered technology approach because the monitored population spans a wide risk range — from asylum-seeking families (minimal flight risk) to individuals with deportation orders and prior absconding history (significant flight risk).
Recommended Tier Structure
- 60-70% of population — Smartphone app: Check-in monitoring for asylum seekers with community ties, families, and individuals with no absconding history. CO-EYE AMClient with multi-language support and photo verification. Cost: $1-5/day.
- 15-25% — Wristband + app: For individuals with moderate flight risk indicators who need proximity verification beyond an app alone. CO-EYE Wristband with BLE tether. Less stigmatizing than an ankle monitor for a civil (non-criminal) population. Cost: $3-8/day.
- 10-15% — GPS ankle monitor: For individuals with prior absconding, criminal history, or active deportation orders with flight risk. CO-EYE ONE with optical fiber anti-tamper and geofencing. Cost: $5-15/day.
Policy Considerations
Proportionality
Immigration monitoring is a civil liberty restriction, not a criminal sanction. The monitoring level must be proportional to the individual’s assessed flight risk. Blanket GPS monitoring of all released individuals — regardless of risk — is both expensive and potentially vulnerable to legal challenge under proportionality standards.
Duration and Review
Given that immigration cases may take 2-5 years to resolve, indefinite GPS monitoring raises proportionality concerns. Best practice: periodic review (every 90-180 days) with step-down to less intensive monitoring for compliant individuals.
Multi-Language Requirements
Unlike criminal justice EM where English is the primary language, immigration monitoring must support multiple languages. Device instructions, app interfaces, check-in prompts, and support communications should be available in at least the top 5-10 languages spoken by the monitored population.
Conclusion
Immigration electronic monitoring generates 90-97% cost savings versus detention while maintaining substantial compliance rates. The technology is proven across multiple countries and program scales. For governments considering new immigration EM programs or expanding existing ones, the evidence strongly supports a tiered technology approach — smartphone apps for the majority, GPS ankle monitors for the minority with highest flight risk — managed through a single monitoring platform.
See our Immigration Electronic Monitoring Guide for program design details, or contact REFINE Technologies for immigration-specific product and pricing information.