A controversial national plan which consisted in tracking the plates of vehicles to detain fugitive undocumented immigrants has been cancelled by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), local media reported.
Last Tuesday, Feb. 18, a report published by The Washington Post revealed that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) planned to start a federal program to track and detain undocumented immigrants through an electronic system that would read vehicle plates.
According to the newspaper, ICE had requested proposals from official and private agencies to compile a national database of plate recognition as a mechanism to help detain fugitive immigrants.
However, a few hours after the controversial proposal was revealed, the Secretary of Homeland Security, Jeh Jonhsonm ordered the cancellation of the project in the face of criticism from various civil associations who denounced the measure as an unlawful invasion to the private lives of American citizens.
Regarding the matter, Gillian Christense, spokesperson for ICE, said through a press release sent to the media that the request on plate information was made "without the knowledge of the direction" of the federal agency, and was thus cancelled, according to The Washington Post.
ICE and DHS authorities expressed their worry that this type of measure might watch the movements of common citizens, and incur in invasive abuses, despite the federal agency saying that the database could only be accessed in case of an ongoing investigation, arguments that did not convince the Secretary of Homeland Security who ordered the immediate cancellation of the controversial plan.
"While we continue to support a range of technologies to help fulfill our duties, this request will be revised to make sure that forwards, it properly meets our operational needs," said the ICE spokesperson in the press release sent to the media and quoted by TWP.
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