ICE Plans to Equip Agents with Electric Shock Gloves in $20M Move
US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is planning to purchase electric shock gloves worth up to $20m, sparking strong opposition from civil rights groups.
Stock photo for illustration only, not from the actual event
- ICE plans to spend up to $20m to acquire GLOVE electric shock devices for field agents.
- The gloves can deliver up to 380 volts, approximately three times the charge of a standard US power outlet.
- Operation relies on pressing a button to send up to 30 pulses per second for pain deterrence.
- Civil rights organizations like the ACLU have strongly condemned the planned purchase.
US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers may soon be issued specialized gloves capable of delivering electric shocks while carrying out law enforcement operations. According to a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) notice published on Monday, ICE intends to spend up to $20 million, equivalent to roughly 14.8 million pounds, to purchase the Generated Low Output Voltage Emitter (GLOVE) equipment.
Manufactured by Compliant Technologies LLC, the gloves can generate up to 380 volts of electricity, which is roughly triple the electrical charge found in a standard power outlet in the United States. The devices function by pressing a button to activate shocks, delivering up to 30 pulses per second, and include built-in microprocessors designed to maintain an activity log of every activation.
In an official statement sent to the BBC, the DHS explained that ICE continuously evaluates the equipment needs of field personnel to ensure they have appropriate tools to safely arrest and deport criminal non-citizens. Furthermore, the agency indicated that a non-competitive purchase contract could be issued as early as Friday.
Stock photo for illustration only, not from the actual event
The GLOVE devices are slated for deployment among officers within Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), which focuses on transnational criminal networks, and Enforcement Removal Operations (ERO), the division tasked with arresting and deporting immigration law violators. Unlike tasers that utilize barbs, these gloves apply shocks through direct skin contact, allowing officers to first touch a subject's clothing before targeting exposed skin such as the wrist or elbow if resistance occurs.
The introduction of novel non-lethal compliance tools by federal law enforcement agencies frequently triggers intense public debate. When an organization like ICE faces continuous scrutiny over past enforcement fatalities and intense pressure to meet deportation quotas, equipping personnel with concealed pain-compliance technology raises critical concerns regarding accountability, oversight, and civil liberties.
"Now they might be equipped with a device that allows them to deliver an electric shock with their hands by pushing a small button, in a move that might be imperceptible to those watching."
Jenn Rolnick Borchetta, American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU)
Civil rights groups, most notably the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), have expressed deep concern over the deployment. Jenn Rolnick Borchetta, deputy director on policing at the ACLU, criticized the move by stating that the agency has previously demonstrated a disregard for the law and an overreliance on force. High-profile incidents involving ICE operations include the fatal shooting of Mexican national Lorenzo Salgado Araujo in Texas and Colombian national Johan Sebastián Durán Guerrero in Maine.
Source: BBC World
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