U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has approved a $16.7 million contract to procure 6,000 pairs of gloves capable of administering painful electric shocks. The agency stated that these gloves would be utilized by officers to manage detainees and demonstrators who resist.
The decision to proceed with the purchase was made despite objections from civil rights advocates and Democratic lawmakers, who expressed concerns over the appropriate use of such devices by ICE personnel. ICE’s intention to acquire thousands of “conductive distraction and de-escalation devices” was first revealed in a public notice.
According to the notice published in a federal database, ICE engaged in a no-bid contract with Compliant Technologies LLC, a Kentucky-based company that manufactures these gloves. The contract involves the acquisition of 6,000 devices, along with associated equipment and services, over a six-month period.
Critics have pointed out that ICE officers have faced criticism for their use of force, particularly during President Donald Trump’s immigration enforcement efforts. Several individuals, including protesters, have lost their lives in encounters with ICE and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) since the previous year.
Following the tragic deaths of American citizens Renee Good and Alex Pretti in January, ICE scaled back its high-profile deportation operations in major U.S. cities. Despite recording a peak monthly arrest total during the latter part of the Trump administration, more than half of those arrested in July had no criminal convictions or charges.
ICE’s notice was released shortly after a group of senators, led by Democrat Catherine Cortez Masto of Nevada, urged the agency to cancel the glove procurement plan. The senators questioned the necessity of these devices and expressed concerns about potential misuse of force.
The gloves appear as ordinary patrol gloves until activated to deliver an electric shock upon direct contact with the skin. They are designed to induce pain as a means to gain compliance from individuals resisting authority and have been utilized by some local law enforcement agencies in recent years.
ICE specified that officers would use these gloves in scenarios of heightened tension, such as during arrests, while dealing with combative detainees, and in response to civil disturbances near detention facilities. The aim is to mitigate the use of more severe force, including firearms, with the gloves assisting in handcuffing individuals concealing their hands and aiding in crowd control.
In response to criticism, ICE’s parent agency, the Department of Homeland Security, defended the purchase as essential for officer safety. The procurement of these gloves is part of a series of no-bid contracts awarded by the Trump administration, drawing scrutiny from Democratic lawmakers.
The controversy surrounding the purchase of electric shock gloves underscores ongoing debates about law enforcement tactics and accountability within ICE and related agencies.