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 purpose of these gloves is for officers to manage detainees and demonstrators who resist authority.
Despite objections from civil rights advocates and Democratic lawmakers, ICE proceeded with the purchase. The agency’s plan was made public recently when ICE announced its intention to buy thousands of “conductive distraction and de-escalation devices” for its officers and investigators.
According to a notice in a federal database, ICE engaged in a no-bid contract with Compliant Technologies LLC, a Kentucky-based company that manufactures the gloves. The contract encompasses obtaining 6,000 devices, alongside support equipment and services, over the next six months.
Critics argue that ICE officers already face scrutiny for their use of force and lack of oversight during President Donald Trump’s immigration enforcement. Incidents involving ICE and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) have resulted in fatalities, including encounters with protesters.
Following the fatal shootings of American citizens Renee Good and Alex Pretti in January, ICE scaled back its high-profile deportation operations in major U.S. cities due to public outrage. Despite claims of focusing on removing violent offenders, data from July indicated that over half of the arrests made were individuals not convicted of crimes or facing criminal charges.
ICE released the notice shortly after a group of U.S. senators, primarily led by Democrat Catherine Cortez Masto of Nevada, urged the agency to reconsider the purchase of the electric shock gloves. The senators questioned the necessity of such devices and raised concerns about potential misuse by ICE officers.
The gloves function as regular patrol gloves until activated to deliver an electric shock when pressed by an officer. They are intended for use in situations of resistance, such as during arrests, detainee transport, and managing civil disturbances near detention facilities.
ICE emphasized that the gloves aim to prevent the use of more severe force, like firearms, and to aid in maintaining control over detainees and ensuring officer safety. However, critics, including Cortez Masto and other senators, highlighted the risks associated with deploying such devices without proper guidelines, training, and oversight.
In response to criticism, the Department of Homeland Security, ICE’s parent agency, defended the purchase as necessary for officer safety and condemned detractors as endangering law enforcement. The contract for the electric shock gloves is part of a series of no-bid contracts issued by the Trump administration, a practice that has faced scrutiny from Democrats.