Feds put GPS bracelets on 259 Washington residents

The federal government is increasingly using GPS ankle bracelets to monitor immigrants whose legal status is tied up in the courts, and Yakima County ranks only behind King County in the number of residents wearing the devices.

The subject was part of a segment on the radio program “Latino USA,” which aired Sunday on National Public Radio. As of June, 83 immigrants living in Yakima County were assigned bracelets, according to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, compared to 92 in King County.

Benton and Franklin counties each have three people assigned bracelets.

The government says the bracelets are less costly and more humane than jailing immigrants while their cases plod through the courts.

Statewide, there are 259 immigrant residents wearing the bracelets. Nationally, “Latino USA” contributor Marlon Bishop said about 12,000 immigrants are wearing the bracelets.

Bishop reports the Department of Homeland Security plans to have as many as 50,000 immigrants on some form of supervision by next year. At the same time, the program is being criticized by immigrant rights activists who say the bracelets stigmatize immigrants and are being used in place of other methods that can be just as effective at preventing people from fleeing.

The increase in spending on such programs has already been seen in the Northwest. The Yakima field office for Homeland Security made its first purchase of ankle bracelets in May for $1,299.

Through the first half of this year, Homeland Security offices in Portland, Seattle and Yakima spent a combined $44,808 on ankle bracelets. The records released to the Yakima Herald-Republic under the federal Freedom of Information Act don’t say how many bracelets were purchased by the offices.

Here’s a breakdown of the 259 bracelets assigned to residents by county in Washington state as of June: Adams County 1; Benton County 3; Chelan County 1; Clark County 16; Douglas County 1; Franklin County 3; Grant County 3; King County 92; Kitsap County 4; Mason County 4; Pierce County 18; Skagit County 1; Snohomish County 28; Thurston County 1; Yakima County 83.

This story was originally published October 27, 2015 at 10:11 PM with the headline "Feds put GPS bracelets on 259 Washington residents."