Congress mandates mass GPS surveillance of immigrants, enables removal without hearing.
S. 72 — Justice for Jocelyn Act · Filed by Ted Cruz (R-TX) · 6 cosponsors · Introduced Jan 13, 2025 · Referred to committee
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What it does
This bill mandates that all immigrants on ICE's nondetained docket be enrolled in GPS monitoring and curfew programs (10 p.m.–5 a.m.), with release to such programs only as a last resort after all detention beds are full and all efforts to detain have been exhausted. It also allows immigration judges to order removal in absentia if an immigrant fails to comply with release conditions, based solely on an officer's affidavit.
Why we flagged it
The bill's operative mechanism is to restrict community-based alternatives to detention, mandate continuous GPS monitoring and curfews, and enable expedited removal without in-person proceedings. These are enforcement and surveillance expansions, not reforms.
What the text implies
- In-absentia removal based on officer affidavit alone removes the immigrant's right to contest the allegation in person or cross-examine the officer—a significant due-process reduction that may face constitutional challenge (hence the severability clause).
- Mandatory GPS monitoring of all nondetained immigrants creates a mass surveillance infrastructure with minimal judicial discretion, potentially affecting tens of thousands of people simultaneously.
The full analysis lists 5 implications of this text.
Who stands to gain
private detention contractors; GPS monitoring technology vendors; immigration enforcement agencies (budget expansion)