Electric shock gloves for ICE field agents? What we know about the plan

WASHINGTON —

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents could soon be given a new tool: gloves that are designed to deliver an electric shock.

As President Donald Trump’s mass deportation campaign continues, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security is planning to spend up to $20 million to obtain devices known as G.L.O.V.E., which stands for Generated Low Output Voltage Emitter, according to a notice first reported by the Associated Press.

DHS didn’t directly respond to emailed questions on Wednesday about how soon the devices could be deployed and how widespread the uptake might be in the field, but the size of the purchase suggests that ICE is preparing to equip a large portion of its agents.

In a statement that does not explicitly mention the gloves, an unnamed DHS spokesperson wrote, “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.”

“Every decision is made with careful consideration and appropriately reviewed to ensure that any technology ICE utilizes is consistent with all applicable law enforcement policies and standards,” the statement added.

The manufacturer, Compliant Technologies, said the devices function as a normal pair of patrol gloves until they’re activated by an officer. They’re designed to deliver a painful voltage when applied directly to a person’s skin, a strategy that could be used to de-escalate when a person is resisting arrest or threatening an agent.

The device has been used by some jails and police departments in the past, but critics are concerned that ICE could abuse the gloves as a punishment tool, as some agents face allegations of excessive force.

During a press conference on Wednesday, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and the state’s attorney general, Letitia James, warned of potential legal action if the tool is misused.

“That appears to me on its face to be a violation of civil rights to cause that kind of physical harm to an individual, regardless of what the offense may be,” Hochul said.

Asked what circumstances would warrant the use of these gloves, DHS didn’t provide specifics. However, an agency spokesperson noted that officers are highly trained in de-escalation tactics and regularly receive ongoing use-of-force training.

The manufacturer warns that the gloves, which are marketed as nonlethal, should not be used in response to verbal defiance or for punishment. They should also not be used against the elderly, small children, pregnant women, and the severely handicapped.

The Trump administration is also in the process of deploying body cameras across the country. One month ago, DHS said that body cameras had been sent to more than half of ICE field offices and that the remainder would get them within 60 days.

The timeline came under scrutiny earlier this summer after two deaths involving ICE agents who weren’t wearing body cameras at the time of those incidents.

Funding for the expansion was authorized by Congress earlier this year, emerging as one of the few areas of common ground as lawmakers sparred over ICE reform.