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Jen Psaki confirms illegal immigrants are being given smartphones to help ICE track them
Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Jen Psaki confirms illegal immigrants are being given smartphones to help ICE track them

White House press secretary Jen Psaki confirmed Wednesday that illegal immigrants are being given free smartphones in order for Immigration and Customs Enforcement to track them more easily.

Psaki appeared to be annoyed by the question from Fox News reporter Peter Doocy on Wednesday during the daily media briefing at the White House.

"Our team in Texas says you guys are starting to give smartphones to border crossers hoping they'll use the phones to check in or to be tracked. Which part of that is supposed to deter people from crossing illegally into the states?" asked Doocy.

"Well I think you of all people, since you've asked a range of questions about this topic over time, would recognize that we need to take steps to ensure that we know where individuals are and we can track and we can check in with them," replied Psaki.

She went on to explain how the phones are used to track the migrants.

"The Alternatives to Detention Program, which is what we utilize, has three unique forms of technology to monitor participants enrolled in the program," Psaki explained. "Telephonic is one of them, which uses a participant's voice to create a biometric voiceprint during the enrollment process. And when the participant has a check-in call, their voice is compared to the voiceprint."

The smartphone giveaway was first reported by reporter Bill Melugin of Fox News who posted photographs of one of the phones being given away to illegal immigrants who had been dropped off in Texas.

"I’m told many of them are given these phones by the government to track them and allow them to communicate w/ ICE, but there’s no way to stop them from being tossed," tweeted Melugin on Tuesday.

The Biden administration is being forced to prepare for what is expected to be a massive wave of illegal aliens and asylum-seekers in the wake of their decision to rescind Title 42, a policy barring many from crossing the border.

Earlier on Wednesday, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) announced that state officials would send illegal aliens on charter buses to Washington, D.C., and drop them off at the steps of the U.S. Capitol in protest of Biden's immigration policies.

Here's the video of the White House media briefing:

Jen Psaki holds a White House press briefing | 4/6/22www.youtube.com

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Carlos Garcia

Carlos Garcia

Staff Writer

Carlos Garcia is a staff writer for Blaze News.