In brief
In an $20 million programme unveiled by the Department of Homeland Security, ICE agents are slated to receive gloves capable of delivering up to 380 volts. The devices, designed for ‘pain deterrence’, can fire up to 30 pulses per second and are intended for use by Homeland Security Investigations and Enforcement Removal Operations. Civil‑rights advocacy groups, led by the ACLU, warn that the gloves could add to a pattern of excessive force, especially after recent fatal shootings involving ICE officers. The plan has also drawn scrutiny over the procurement method and the potential for covert use of electric shock on detainees.
ICE’s upcoming "shock gloves" introduce a new frontier for force.
US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials will soon receive a pair of gloves that can deliver up to 380 volts, roughly three times the charge of a standard household outlet. The devices, known as GLOWEs and manufactured by Compliant Technologies, will use a button‑activated system to fire up to 30 pulses per second. They are intended for use by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and Enforcement Removal Operations (ERO) officers.
The Department of Homeland Security has earmarked up to £14.8 million to buy the gloves. A no‑bid contract could be issued as soon as Friday, the DHS said, while the gloves themselves are already used by several other law‑enforcement agencies.
Unlike a taser that drives current through the body by puncturing the skin, these gloves can be touched to clothing and then moved to a skin‑exposed area such as the wrist or elbow. The shock is described as a simple form of “pain deterrence” that is designed to compel compliance rather than incapacitate.
Compliant Technologies quotes that the gloves record every activation and that the manufacturer advises against use on the elderly, small children, pregnant women or severely handicapped individuals. An extra officer should be present to restrain a subject while the gloves are deployed.
Civil‑rights advocates, including the American Civil Liberties Union, have reacted with alarm. "The use of these devices adds a covert, easily concealed means of inflicting pain that could be wielded without accountability," says Jenn Rolnick Borchetta, ACLU deputy director on policing. They point to previous incidents in which ICE agents have fatally shot detainees, highlighting concerns that new gear amplifies the likelihood of excessive force.
ICE faces pressure to enforce President Trump’s removal agenda, which mandates daily arrest targets, but the new gloves risk exacerbating tensions between law‑enforcement and communities of colour. The DHS statement emphasises that the gear is meant to “safely arrest and remove criminal illegal aliens”, yet the technology’s potential for abuse looms large.
Reporting by Max Matza.
