ICE awards $16.7 million contract for 6,000 electric shock gloves

Contract details and device specifications

US Immigration and Customs Enforcement awarded a 16.7 million dollar no-bid contract to Compliant Technologies LLC, a Kentucky-based manufacturer founded by military veterans, to acquire 6,000 pairs of electric shock gloves. The agreement covers the delivery of the devices alongside support equipment and services over the next six months. Known under the acronym G.L.O.V.E., the equipment functions as a standard patrol glove until an officer pushes a button to trigger an electrical charge of 380 volts. Unlike a Taser, the device requires direct physical contact with a subject's skin to deliver an impulse that is four times less powerful than standard stun guns, creating a sensation described by the manufacturer as comparable to a bee sting. The electrical impulse lasts a few seconds and is intended to gain immediate compliance from individuals resisting arrest. Compliant Technologies recommends that officers avoid using the gloves on children, pregnant women, elderly individuals, or people with disabilities.

Congressional opposition and safety concerns

The procurement moved forward despite formal resistance from Democratic lawmakers and civil rights organizations, who cited prior instances of excessive force during immigration enforcement operations. The plan first became public earlier in August 2026 when ICE published a preliminary notice outlining its intent to acquire conductive distraction and de-escalation equipment. Hours before ICE published the finalized contract notice on 27 August 2026, a group of 16 Democratic senators led by Catherine Cortez Masto of Nevada sent a formal letter to the agency's acting director urging the immediate cancellation of the order. The senators pointed to enforcement controversies across several jurisdictions, including Minneapolis, Chicago, Los Angeles, Houston, and locations in Maine, where confrontations between agents and protesters led to severe consequences, including the deaths of two US citizens during Minnesota demonstrations in January 2026.

The blatant and tragic misuse of force in Los Angeles, Chicago, Minneapolis, Houston, Maine, and other locations around the country raises significant skepticism about the agency's professional capability to safely deploy a new tool that could be used to harm Americans without cause.

Additional objections were voiced by a Democratic representative from Mississippi and the American Civil Liberties Union, who argued that agency personnel frequently operate with limited oversight and insufficient training.

Operational deployment and agency quotas

ICE defended the procurement as a necessary non-lethal de-escalation asset designed specifically for high-tension field encounters. Agency documentation specifies that officers and investigators will deploy the gloves while conducting arrests, transporting combative detainees, and managing civil unrest outside detention facilities. The acquisition coincides with intensified operational demands, as the White House has established an agency quota of 2,000 arrests per day in support of President Donald Trump's immigration crackdown. A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson stated that the agency continually evaluates field equipment needs to ensure personnel can safely apprehend and deport undocumented immigrants. In addition to physical compliance, the gloves provide a visual advantage during public encounters, leaving no visible marks on the skin and drawing far less attention on bystander smartphone recordings than Tasers, pepper spray, or batons.