ICE plans up to $20m purchase of electroshock gloves for immigration officers, drawing ACLU alarm
ICE plans to spend up to $20 million on thousands of electroshock gloves by March 2027, prompting civil rights groups to warn of unchecked use of force during Trump's immigration crackdown.
Procurement plan
US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) plans to spend between $10 million and $20 million on thousands of G.L.O.V.E. (Generated Low Output Voltage Emitter) devices by March 2027, according to a Department of Homeland Security notice published on 11 August 2026. The gloves are to be distributed among agents in Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO), who carry out immigration arrests, as well as officers in Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). Neither DHS nor the manufacturer responded to Associated Press requests for comment.
How the device works
The gloves are manufactured by Compliant Technologies LLC, based in Lexington, Kentucky. According to the company, they function as normal patrol gloves until an officer presses a switch to activate an electrical mode. The gloves must be applied directly to a person's skin to deliver a pain stimulus. The manufacturer states the discomfort is usually effective in bringing individuals into compliance in less than three seconds and leaves no burns, marks, or scars. The company has advertised the device as a humane, low-optics de-escalation solution and says it allows agents to act at a distance of up to three metres.
John Peters, president of the Institute for the Prevention of In-Custody Deaths, who is studying how the device has been used, described the effect in concrete terms.
It's immediate and sharp, and it will distract you. I call it like a bee sting.
Safeguards and limits
Compliant Technologies warns that the gloves must not be used as punishment or against people who are only verbally resisting. The manufacturer's guidelines also prohibit use against children, pregnant women, elderly people, and disabled individuals. Officers must complete a training course and recertify every two years. The devices have already been used in some US jails and by some police departments in recent years. Peters said he believed ICE's planned purchase would likely be the largest from the company to date.
- DHS publishes acquisition notice for G.L.O.V.E. gloves, up to $20m
- DHS says it is working on a response to AP, declines immediate comment
- Target date for completion of glove purchase and distribution
Civil rights backlash
Civil rights advocates expressed alarm, saying ICE officers already face criticism for their use of force with little oversight or accountability while enforcing Donald Trump's immigration crackdown. Jenn Rolnick Borchetta, deputy project director on policing at the American Civil Liberties Union, told the Associated Press that she questioned the use of the devices for civil immigration enforcement.
ICE spent the last year showing this country they are too quick to use force. Now they will be able to deploy electric shocks with the slight push of a button that maybe nobody else can see them do.
She added that introducing gloves which can so easily be used to deliver terrible pain in encounters is a recipe for harm to the public. Supporters of the technology argue the gloves could help end confrontations quickly during arrests or transports and avoid injuries. ICE has faced scrutiny over its enforcement practices under Trump's immigration policy, including several fatal shootings by officers.
