Congress mandates mass GPS surveillance of immigrants awaiting hearings.
H.R. 355 — Justice for Jocelyn Act · Filed by Troy Nehls (R-TX) · 7 cosponsors · Introduced Jan 13, 2025 · Referred to committee
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What it does
This bill mandates GPS monitoring and overnight curfews (10 p.m.–5 a.m.) for all immigrants awaiting immigration court hearings who are not detained. It restricts release from detention unless all detention beds are full and all alternatives exhausted. It also allows immigration judges to order removal in absentia if an immigrant violates release conditions, without a hearing.
Why we flagged it
The bill's operative mechanism is a mandatory detention-first policy coupled with universal GPS monitoring and curfews for non-detained immigrants, plus removal without a hearing for release violations. It is functionally an enforcement escalation, not a public-safety measure with proportionate safeguards.
What the text implies
- In-absentia removal (Section 4) strips immigrants of the right to be present at their own removal hearing—a fundamental due-process protection. An immigration officer's affidavit alone, without judicial finding of willful violation, triggers removal.
- GPS monitoring and curfew apply to ALL non-detained immigrants, including those with strong community ties, employment, or family. No individualized assessment or proportionality review is required.
The full analysis lists 4 implications of this text.
Who stands to gain
GPS monitoring technology vendors; detention facility operators (private and public)