ICE Plans $20M Purchase of Electric Shock Gloves

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) plans to spend between $10 million and $20 million to purchase thousands of gloves that can deliver electric shocks for officers by March, according to a notice published Monday by the Department of Homeland Security.

The devices, known as G.L.O.V.E. (Generated Low Output Voltage Emitter), are manufactured by Compliant Technologies LLC and have been used in recent years by some jails and police departments. The gloves function as normal patrol gloves until officers press a switch to activate their electrical mode, delivering a pain stimulus that typically helps gain compliance within seconds.

The planned purchases come amid increased scrutiny of ICE's tactics during its arrest surge. Civil rights advocates, including the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), have expressed alarm at the plan. Jenn Rolnick Borchetta, deputy project director on policing at the ACLU, questioned why the devices would be necessary for civil immigration enforcement and noted that those getting shocked might have no advance warning.

John Peters, president of the Institute for the Prevention of In-Custody Deaths, who is studying how the device has been used, described the shock as immediate and sharp. He said he could envision ICE officers using the gloves to help remove uncooperative subjects from cars and houses and in and out of detention facilities.

The manufacturer warns that the devices should not be used as punishment or against high-risk populations such as children, pregnant women, or elderly/disabled people. The size of the purchase suggests ICE plans to give the device to most or all of its officers.

Democratic elected officials and civil rights advocates have called the plans unnecessary and cruel. New York Attorney General Letitia James warned that ICE officers who misuse the gloves in her state could face criminal and civil consequences. Several Democrats in Congress, including Reps. Pramila Jayapal, Maxwell Frost, and Delia Ramirez, criticized the purchase on social media.

A pending lawsuit alleges a 43-year-old man died in 2024 after he was shocked 27 times with the gloves and 13 more times by a Taser at a jail in Richmond, Kentucky. An internal investigation found two of the glove shocks lasted 45 and 99 seconds apiece – far more than the manufacturer's recommended 15-second limit.

The Department of Homeland Security issued a statement that did not mention the product specifically or explain why it had been chosen. 'ICE is constantly assessing the needs of our officers in the field to ensure they have the tools and equipment necessary to safely arrest and remove criminal illegal aliens from our country,' the statement said.