U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has approved a $16.7 million contract to buy 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.
Despite objections from civil rights advocates and Democratic lawmakers, ICE proceeded with the purchase. The agency’s plan was made public recently when ICE issued a notice detailing its intention to procure thousands of “conductive distraction and de-escalation devices” for officers and investigators.
According to a notice in a federal database, ICE engaged in a no-bid contract with Compliant Technologies LLC, a company based in Kentucky that manufactures these gloves. The contract involves obtaining 6,000 devices along with accompanying equipment and services within the next six months.
Critics have raised concerns about ICE officers’ use of force, citing inadequate oversight or accountability, particularly during President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown. Since last year, there have been instances where individuals, including protesters, have lost their lives in encounters with ICE and Customs and Border Protection (CBP).
Following the publication of ICE’s notice, a group of U.S. senators, led by Democrat Catherine Cortez Masto of Nevada, called on the agency to halt the gloves acquisition plan. In a letter to ICE’s acting director, Cortez Masto and 15 fellow Democratic senators questioned the necessity of these devices.
The gloves appear as regular patrol gloves until an officer activates the electrical mode by pressing a button. ICE stated that officers would deploy them in “high-tension environments,” such as during arrests, handling combative detainees, and addressing civil disturbances near detention facilities.
ICE asserted that the shocks would aid in maintaining control over inmates, preventing aggression or escape attempts, facilitating handcuffing of individuals concealing their hands, and assisting in crowd management. The objective is to use these gloves as an alternative to employing more severe force, including firearms.
ICE’s parent agency, the Department of Homeland Security, defended the purchase against critics, labeling it as a “despicable and a deliberate attempt to undermine and endanger our officers.” This procurement is part of a series of no-bid contracts issued by the Trump administration, a practice that has drawn criticism from Democrats for various acquisitions, including airplanes and detention facilities.