ICE Plans to Equip Agents with Electric‑Shock Gloves
US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) could soon give its officers new hands‑held weapons that deliver electric shocks. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is preparing to spend up to $20 million for a device called the Generated Low Output Voltage Emitter (GLOVE). The gloves can fire up to 380 volts—roughly triple the charge of a standard home outlet—and can deliver as many as 30 pulses per second.
AI and civil‑rights advocates have raised red flags. The American Civil Liberties Union says a device that can inflict pain on a person’s skin “can be used as a weapon of intimidation and abuse.” The technology comes at a time when ICE agents have been held accountable for several fatal shootings.
In a statement to the BBC, DHS said, “ICE constantly assesses 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 company that makes the gloves, Compliant Technologies LLC, declined to comment. A no‑bid purchase contract could be signed as early as Friday.
The gloves are activated by a button that also displays a light. They are designed to shock only the skin that the officer touches, rather than sending a circuit through the body like a taser. The gloves are intended for “pain deterrence” in situations where a subject becomes combative. A DHS note says the equipment will be deployed by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and Enforcement Removal Operations (ERO) teams.
Although some agencies already use the device, ICE’s order would be the largest purchase from Compliant Technologies to date. Critics warn that a concealed means of delivering severe pain could increase harm to the public and reduce accountability. The ACLU has called the move a recipe for “more harm to the public and less accountability.”
