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U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement plans to spend between $10 million and $20 million on gloves capable of delivering painful electric shocks to help agents control people who resist arrest, according to a Department of Homeland Security procurement notice.
The planned purchase of so-called G.L.O.V.E. devices — short for Generated Low Output Voltage Emitter — comes as ICE expands immigration enforcement nationwide and faces growing scrutiny over the use of force by its officers.
The DHS notice, published Monday, said the agency intends to purchase what it calls “conductive distraction and de-escalation devices” for ICE officers and agents. The solicitation for a no-bid contract could be published as early as Friday, with the devices expected to be acquired by March.
The gloves are manufactured by Compliant Technologies LLC, a Lexington, Kentucky, company whose products have been used by some police departments and correctional facilities.
How the electric gloves work
According to the manufacturer, the gloves function as ordinary patrol gloves until an officer activates an electrical mode with a switch.
The device must make direct contact with a person’s skin to deliver an electrical stimulus designed to cause pain and encourage compliance.
The manufacturer says officers must complete training before using the device and undergo recertification every two years.
Compliant Technologies also warns that the gloves should not be used as punishment or against people who are merely verbally defiant or belligerent. Its guidance says the devices should not be used on certain high-risk populations, including children, pregnant women, older adults or people with disabilities.
Civil rights advocates raise concerns
The proposed purchase has drawn alarm from civil rights organizations, which argue that giving immigration officers another tool capable of inflicting pain could increase the potential for excessive force.
Jenn Rolnick Borchetta, deputy project director on policing at the American Civil Liberties Union, questioned why such equipment would be necessary for civil immigration enforcement.
She also raised concerns about people being shocked without warning and whether ICE agents would consistently follow restrictions governing the devices.
The criticism comes amid heightened scrutiny of ICE tactics under President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown.
ICE has significantly expanded its enforcement operations as the White House pressures the agency to increase arrests. The administration has pushed for ICE to make roughly 2,000 arrests per day.
ICE officers have faced criticism over vehicle stops and other enforcement encounters, including two fatal shootings of immigrants during attempted stops last month in Maine and Texas.
In both cases, ICE agents involved in the shootings were not wearing body cameras.
DHS has since pledged to expand the use of body-worn cameras, saying all ICE arrest teams will have at least one officer equipped with a camera.
Supporters say the devices can reduce physical confrontations
Supporters of the technology argue that the gloves can provide officers with an alternative to more dangerous physical force.
The devices have been used in some jails and police departments to control violent suspects, transport people who resist arrest and respond to inmates who threaten themselves or officers, according to the manufacturer.
The manufacturer says the devices are intended as a de-escalation tool rather than a punishment mechanism.
ICE’s use-of-force debate intensifies
The proposed purchase arrives at a politically sensitive moment for ICE.
The agency is carrying out an expanded enforcement campaign as the Trump administration seeks to increase arrests of people suspected of being in the country illegally.
That campaign has produced confrontations between immigration officers and people targeted for arrest, while critics have questioned whether ICE agents are using force appropriately.
The planned acquisition of electric shock gloves could intensify those concerns, particularly because the devices can be activated by an officer with the push of a switch and may not be visible to the person being detained.
The debate ultimately could center less on whether the gloves can be effective and more on when ICE agents will be permitted to use them, what oversight will be imposed and whether violations will result in meaningful discipline.
DHS and Compliant Technologies have not provided substantive public comments on the planned purchase.
If the agency proceeds with the contract, the acquisition would add another force option to an immigration enforcement system already under intense scrutiny.
