ICE Buys 6,000 Electric Shock Gloves Despite Lawmakers Urging the Agency to Cancel the $16.7 Million Deal
ICE went through with it
The Trump administration has been expanding the equipment available to federal immigration officers as ICE carries out its enforcement operations. The agency has been considering new tools for situations involving arrests, detainee transport and civil disturbances.
Among the equipment under scrutiny are gloves that can deliver an electric shock when an officer activates their electrical mode. The devices, known as G.L.O.V.E.s, are manufactured by Kentucky-based Compliant Technologies and must make direct contact with a person’s skin to deliver the shock.
The purchase drew opposition from human rights advocates and Democratic lawmakers before ICE finalized the deal. According to Reuters, senators led by Democratic Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto urged the agency to abandon the plan, citing concerns about potential misuse, training and oversight.
ICE went ahead with the purchase
ICE has awarded a $16.7 million no-bid contract to Compliant Technologies for 6,000 pairs of the electric shock gloves, according to Reuters. The contract also covers support equipment and services, with the devices intended for officers working in the field.
The purchase comes after ICE had already drawn attention for its plans to deploy the technology during immigration operations. The agency’s earlier rollout of ICE’s electric shock gloves prompted questions about whether the devices would actually reduce the need for more serious force or simply add another option to an already expanding arsenal.
ICE’s procurement notice says the gloves are intended for use in “high-tension environments,” including arrests, transporting combative detainees and responding to civil disturbances outside detention facilities. The notice says officers could use them when someone is actively or passively resisting and an officer needs to gain control quickly.
The gloves normally function as patrol gloves until an officer presses a button to activate the electrical mode. The manufacturer says the device is intended to cause enough discomfort to distract a person and gain compliance, while ICE says the equipment is meant to help officers avoid using more severe force.
Those concerns also come against a backdrop of scrutiny over how ICE agents have handled encounters with people during enforcement operations. A previous case involving a teenager who said he was placed in a chokehold during an encounter with ICE agents illustrates why ICE’s use of force has become part of the broader debate over how agents restrain people in the field.
The senators who opposed the purchase questioned whether ICE has adequate safeguards for the devices, including clear limits on their use, appropriate training and comprehensive oversight. Their letter came hours before the federal contract notice was published, but ICE proceeded with the purchase.
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