MIAMI - Dozens of illegal immigrants awaiting their day in court are wearing electronic monitoring devices in lieu of detention in the biggest such experiment in the country.
The Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement began a six-month test of the ankle bracelet program in South Florida in August for possible nationwide use. About 100 people are wearing the bracelets so far in the Miami area. About 370 immigrants are still kept in jails in the area, officials said.
The monitoring devices were assigned to "low-risk, nonviolent alien offenders," said agency spokeswoman Barbara Gonzalez. "We hope to use these devices to release nonviolent aliens into the community while still ensuring their appearance in court as required."
About 60 people were assigned the devices earlier this year in Detroit and in Anchorage, Alaska.
Immigrants cannot take the ankle bracelets off, even to sleep or shower.
Yen Chen, 47, a Pakistani immigrant, was detained for about two months in Florida before he was asked whether he wanted to participate in the program.
"How could I say no to this offer? I mean, I don't really want to wear this for even an hour. But it's better than being held in custody," Chen said.
