Doctoral Dissertation Research: The Effects of Monitoring on Immigrant Lives

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As of 2015, more than 1.8 million immigrants were in removal proceedings, awaiting their turn to appear in immigration courts. However, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) cannot detain all 1.8 million immigrants simultaneously, mostly because ICE's budget only funds 34,000 detention beds on a given day. Therefore, immigrants who do not qualify for mandatory detention are enrolled in the Intensive Supervision Appearance Program (ISAP), which enforces the use of a Global Position System (GPS) ankle monitor. We know that some U.S. immigration policies are associated with immigrant ill health, but scant research exists on how being visually marked and placed under constant surveillance affects physical and mental health as well as health care access. This research will show the impact of the GPS ankle monitoring on the mental and physical health of immigrants. Project findings will help inform immigration and public health policies. In the U.S. today, immigrants who do not qualify for mandatory detention are enrolled in Alternative to Detention Programs (ATDP) and must wear a GPS ankle monitor. The project uses ethnographic observations in multiple settings and in-depth, semi-structured interviews with immigrants wearing the GPS ankle monitor. Although these people are no longer in detention, they are still under surveillance via the ankle monitors. The project will document the social, material, mental, and physical effects of the GPS ankle monitors, such as anxiety and difficulty finding housing. This research project makes a theoretical contribution to studies of Latino immigrant populations, while also documenting the effects of surveillance on individuals.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.