DHS proposes $20 million purchase of electric-shock gloves for ICE officers

The Department of Homeland Security announced a proposal to allocate as much as $20 million to provide Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers with G.L.O.V.E. (Generated Low Output Voltage Emitter) electric-shock gloves by March 2025. The gloves, which deliver a low-voltage shock when a button is pressed, are already used by a limited number of police departments, correctional facilities and some schools.

Civil-rights advocates expressed concern that the equipment could be employed without adequate oversight. > "ICE is putting these gloves in the hands of an agency that has dropped its hiring standards, its training, its background requirements in its hiring spree," said Sarah Mehta, deputy director of government affairs for the ACLU’s equality division. > "There are no circumstances where we think their use is appropriate."

The gloves are manufactured by Compliant Technologies in Lexington, Kentucky, and are sold only to verified law-enforcement, corrections, security, military and emergency-medical entities after required training. The device’s manual advises against use on elderly people, children, pregnant women and individuals with disabilities.

Recent incidents involving the gloves have drawn legal attention. In Kentucky, a 43-year-old man died after being shocked repeatedly with a combination of the gloves and a Taser while in county jail; his widow has filed a lawsuit. Another case involves a man who suffered cardiac arrest after multiple exposures to the gloves and a Taser in a detention center, prompting a wrongful-death suit. A separate lawsuit alleging excessive force by a guard using the gloves was dismissed by a federal court.

Law-enforcement agencies that have adopted the technology report mixed outcomes. Omaha, Nebraska’s police department purchased 40 pairs for use in schools, but the district discontinued the program after an incident in which a student was shocked. A DHS spokesperson said the agency “continually assesses the needs of our officers … to ensure they have the tools and equipment necessary to safely arrest and remove criminal illegal aliens,” and that any technology is reviewed for compliance with law-enforcement policies.

The proposal has sparked debate over the balance between less-lethal options and potential misuse, with critics warning that broader deployment could increase the risk of injuries and civil-rights violations.