OPINION: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.
Fox News White House correspondent Peter Doocy has gotten famous for grilling White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki since President Joe Biden was inaugurated.
Psaki has continued to call on Doocy, believing she can handle him, but he keeps making her look ridiculous.
On Friday he got in a good zinger on the press secretary when he asked about free smartphones being given to illegal aliens.
But it all started on Wednesday when Psaki said that smartphones were being given to the illegal immigrants as “alternatives to detention programs” to “know where individuals are.”
“Our team in Texas is that saying that you guys are starting to give smartphones to border crossers, hoping that they’ll use the phones to check in or to be tracked. I — which part of that is supposed to deter people from crossing illegally into the states?” the reporter said.
“Well, I think you of all people — since you’ve asked me a range of questions on 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,” the press secretary said.
“The alternatives to detention programs — is what we utilize — has three unique forms of technology to monitor participants enrolled in the program,” she said.
“Telephonic, which is one of them, which is uses a participant’s voice to create a biometric voice print during the enrollment process. And when the participant has a check-in call, their voice is compared to the voice print,” she explained.
“SmartLink, which is another option, enables participant monitoring via smartphone or tablet using facial-matching technology to establish identity.
“And Global Positioning System monitoring is of a participant’s location and movement history, using satellite technology through an ankle bracelet. This is all part of our effort, as individuals come into the United States and individuals who are entering who will proceed to immigration proceedings, to monitor and track where they are,” she said.
Doocy wanted to know if there was “any concern by folks around here that these migrants will take the phones and just toss them?”
“Do you have a record of people throwing phones away?” the press secretary said sarcastically as if Doocy has a way to see what every migrant is doing.
On Friday Doocy got back around to the topic.
“Is there any plan to give free smartphones to U.S. citizens that want them?” the reporter said.
“Should we not be tracking migrants who irregularly cross the border?” she said. “Or do you have an alternative suggestion for how they should be tracked?”
“I, unfortunately, have not been asked to make U.S. immigration policy. That’s not my —” the correspondent said before the press secretary interrupted him.
“Today’s your moment,” she said to laughter.
“Well, it’d be great if anybody that wanted a free phone and a free monthly plan could get one. So, is that going to be an offer for everybody or just people that walk into the country illegally?” the reporter said pointedly.
“Well, Peter, as — when we talked about this the other day, what I noted to you is that we have a range of means of tracking individuals who irregularly migrate to the country, as — in order to ensure that they are meeting their Notice to Appear obligations and that they are appearing in court when they should appear in court. Phones is one of them. There are also ankle devices and a range of tracking devices,” she said.
Peter Doocy to Psaki: "It would be great if anybody that wanted a free phone and a free monthly plan could get one, so is that going to be an offer to everybody or just people that walk into the country illegally?" pic.twitter.com/8s9sCBGvn8
— The Post Millennial (@TPostMillennial) April 8, 2022
“Eighty percent of individuals have — of non-citizens released at the border from DHS custody under prosecutorial discretion have either received a Notice to Appear or are still within the window to report,” the press secretary said.
“So, yes, there is telephonic reporting. There is SmartLink, which enables participant monitoring via smartphone. There’s the Global Positioning System. These are the range of means with modern technology that we monitor,” she said.
