GPS Tracking Through Labor: ICE's Smartwatch Mandate for Pregnant Immigrants

Remove the device for a C-section? Risk detention. Welcome to "alternatives to detention."

TL;DR: ICE now requires pregnant immigrants enrolled in its monitoring programs to wear GPS-enabled smartwatches 24 hours a day. The devices cannot be self-removed. Women report wearing them through labor and delivery, with some fearing that removing the watch for a C-section could trigger immediate re-detention. ICE policy from 2021 discourages detaining pregnant women, so instead, they've created a system where women give birth while tethered to government surveillance. The device: VeriWatch, made by BI Inc., a GEO Group subsidiary that also profits from physical detention.

What's Happening

In June 2025, ICE quietly changed policy. Pregnant immigrants enrolled in the Alternatives to Detention (ATD) program must now wear GPS-tracking smartwatches instead of traditional ankle monitors.[1]

Sounds like progress. It's not.

The smartwatches (called VeriWatch) track location around the clock. They cannot be removed by the wearer. And they come with the same threat as ankle bracelets: take it off, face detention.[2]

For pregnant women, this creates an impossible situation:

  • Wear it through labor: Women report having the device on during delivery
  • Fear removal for medical procedures: C-sections and other surgeries may require removing electronic devices
  • Risk detention if it comes off: Any removal can trigger alerts to ICE

The Human Reality

Immigrant rights organizations have documented cases of women in labor still wearing tracking devices. The fear isn't hypothetical.[3]

One woman described the dilemma: if medical staff need to remove the watch for an emergency C-section, does that count as "unauthorized removal"? Would she be detained after giving birth?

ICE's answer: unclear. The policy says unauthorized removal triggers alerts. It doesn't clearly exempt medical emergencies.

Doctors face ethical conflicts too. Should they remove a device that might lead to their patient's detention? What happens to the newborn if the mother is taken into custody?

The Policy Contradiction

In 2021, ICE issued guidance discouraging detention of pregnant, postpartum, or nursing individuals "unless exceptional circumstances exist."[4]

That sounds humane. Here's how it works in practice:

  1. Policy says don't detain pregnant women
  2. Instead, put them in "alternatives to detention"
  3. "Alternatives" means 24/7 GPS surveillance
  4. Surveillance device can't be removed, even for medical procedures
  5. If it's removed, back to detention you go

The result: pregnant women aren't in detention facilities with walls. They're in a technological cage that follows them everywhere, including the delivery room.

The Device: VeriWatch

VeriWatch is manufactured by BI Incorporated, a subsidiary of the GEO Group, one of America's largest private prison operators.[1]

24/7 GPS Tracking

Location monitored continuously. ICE knows where you are at all times: home, work, hospital, everywhere.

Non-Removable

The device locks onto the wrist. Removal requires special tools or triggers tamper alerts.

Constant Charging

Requires regular charging. A dead battery can count as a compliance violation.

Tamper Detection

Any attempt to remove or disable the device triggers alerts to ICE immediately.

The smartwatch is marketed as more "discreet" than ankle monitors. It's surveillance rebranded. The tracking is identical. It just looks like a fitness device.

Following the Money

The GEO Group runs detention centers. Through BI Incorporated, they also run the "alternatives" to those same detention centers.

Think about that business model:

  • More detention? GEO profits from running facilities
  • More "alternatives"? BI Inc. profits from surveillance devices
  • Either way? Same parent company wins

SmartLINK (the app version of monitoring) costs ICE about $4 per person per day. VeriWatch is slightly more due to hardware. Compare that to $150+ per day for physical detention.[5]

For the company, "alternatives" mean scale. More people monitored at lower cost means higher total revenue. The surveillance state expands even as the physical detention debate continues.

Policy vs. Reality

Reports indicate ICE pregnancy policies aren't consistently followed.[6]

Despite guidance discouraging detention:

  • Pregnant women are still detained in some facilities
  • "Exceptional circumstances" is loosely defined
  • Women report being detained without knowing they were pregnant
  • Those who avoid detention face constant electronic surveillance

The choice isn't "detention or freedom." It's "detention or digital prison."

What You Can Do

If You're Enrolled in ATD

Know your rights. Document everything. Contact an immigration attorney immediately if you're pregnant and face medical procedures that might affect device compliance.

Healthcare Providers

Understand that patients in ATD programs face unique dilemmas. Document when device removal is medically necessary. Advocate for your patients.

Contact Advocacy Organizations

Groups like the National Immigrant Justice Center and Detention Watch Network are documenting these cases. Your story matters for systemic change.

Pressure Representatives

Demand oversight of ATD programs. Push for clear medical exemptions and humane policies for pregnant individuals.

The Bigger Picture

This isn't just about immigration enforcement. It's about how surveillance technology enables control while appearing humane.

"Alternatives to detention" sounds progressive. In practice, it means extending surveillance to people who might otherwise be released entirely. The total number of people under ICE monitoring keeps growing. It's not replacing detention, it's supplementing it.

And the technology keeps getting more intrusive. Ankle monitors became smartphone apps. Now come smartwatches. What's next? Always-on location implants?

When pregnant women give birth attached to government tracking devices, something has gone fundamentally wrong with how we define "alternatives" and "freedom."

The device isn't an alternative to a cage. It is the cage, just invisible and mobile.

References

  1. The Guardian - ICE Mandates GPS Smartwatches for Pregnant Immigrants (2025)
  2. Bioethics.com - VeriWatch and Medical Ethics Concerns
  3. Detention Watch Network - Alternatives to Detention
  4. DHS - ICE Directive on Detention of Pregnant Individuals (2021)
  5. AP News - ICE Tracking and SmartLINK Costs
  6. The 19th - Pregnant Women Still Detained Despite ICE Policy