ICE’s catch-and-release program has a high failure rate, according to a new government audit released Wednesday that found up to one-third of migrants abscond before their time is up.
The Alternatives to Detention program, or ATD as it’s known within U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, also doesn’t have solid yardsticks to measure its success, even as the number of people ICE enrolls soars, the Government Accountability Office said in the exhaustive new analysis.
“In recent years, ICE has increasingly used the ATD program to provide case management and electronic monitoring of individuals it releases into the community while they await resolution of their immigration court proceedings.