BI Incorporated is a Boulder, Colorado-based company that manufactures GPS ankle monitors and operates the federal government’s primary immigration surveillance program. Acquired by The GEO Group in 2011, BI is the sole contractor for ICE’s Intensive Supervision Appearance Program (ISAP), commonly known as “alternatives to detention.” This framing is misleading – BI’s technology is a surveillance layer that supplements, rather than replaces, physical detention.

The Surveillance Stack

BI operates three primary monitoring technologies:

• GPS Ankle Monitors – Physical devices that cannot be removed, tracking location 24/7
• SmartLINK – A smartphone app that collects geolocation, phone contacts, vehicle and driver information, and biometric data including facial images and voice prints
• VeriWatch – Smartwatches that cannot be removed, functioning as wrist-mounted tracking devices

Scale of Operations (2025-2026)

• Early 2025: ~17,000 people on GPS ankle monitors; ~183,000 total under ICE supervision
• June 2025: ICE internal memo directed agents to place ankle monitors “whenever possible” on ATD enrollees
• Late 2025: 42,000+ people on GPS ankle monitors
• ICE target for 2026: Up to 180,000 people on ankle monitors; up to 450,000 under total surveillance
• Surveillance revenue projection: $700 million through 2026

Skip Tracing Contract

In December 2025, BI won a $121 million ICE contract for “skip tracing” – using surveillance data to locate people who have missed check-ins so ICE can arrest them. This contract transforms BI from a monitoring company into an active participant in enforcement operations.

The “Alternative” That Isn’t

BI’s ISAP program is framed as a humane alternative to physical detention, but:

• Participants report it as a form of imprisonment – constant surveillance, mandatory check-ins, restrictions on movement
• SmartLINK requires selfies, surprise visits, and compliance with secret codes
• Data collected feeds directly into ICE enforcement operations
• The skip tracing contract means failure to comply leads to targeted arrest
• BI profits whether someone is detained or monitored – they are a GEO subsidiary either way

Community Opposition

BI’s Boulder headquarters has faced renewed protests in 2024-2026 as its ICE monitoring role has expanded. Local activists have organized demonstrations against the company’s role in immigration enforcement.

Sources

• Boulder Reporting Lab: BI Inc. faces renewed protests (Feb 2026)
• State of Surveillance: GEO Group surveillance pivot
• Sahan Journal: Third-party monitoring in Minnesota
• The Lever: Private Prison Firms Cash In On Surveillance Boom
• Jersey Vindicator: ICE taps GEO subsidiary in $121M deal
• Spokesman: ICE moves to shackle 180,000 with GPS ankle monitors
• Casa Alterna: Invisible Shackles