U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has awarded a $16.7 million no-bid contract for 6,000 gloves capable of delivering electric shocks, moving forward with a purchase that has drawn objections from Democratic lawmakers and civil rights advocates over potential misuse.
Federal records show ICE signed the six-month contract Wednesday with Kentucky-based Compliant Technologies LLC. The agency will pay $2,495 apiece for the devices, known as G.L.O.V.E., or Generated Low Output Voltage Emitter, along with support equipment and services.
The gloves function as conventional patrol gloves until an officer activates their electrical mode. They must make direct contact with a person's skin to deliver a shock intended to compel compliance.
ICE describes the devices as "conductive distraction and de-escalation devices" and says they could be used during arrests, detainee transports and disturbances at detention facilities when people are "actively or passively resisting."
"ICE does not currently have an empty hand use of force device to provide to the field," the agency said in procurement documents, arguing that the gloves could reduce reliance on physical force and provide an alternative to firearms in more dangerous encounters.
The agency says the gloves will be subject to approved policies, training and accountability requirements, though its procurement documents provide few details about those safeguards.
Compliant Technologies' manual says officers should give people a reasonable opportunity to comply before using force and generally limit applications to 15 seconds. It advises against using the gloves as punishment or on pregnant women, young children, elderly people and people with severe disabilities.
The manual also warns that repeated or prolonged use can be a factor in "sudden death," while a pending wrongful-death lawsuit alleges that a 43-year-old man died in a Kentucky detention center in 2024 after being shocked 27 times with the gloves and 13 additional times with a Taser.
Sixteen Democratic senators, led by Nevada Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, urged ICE on Thursday to cancel the purchase, citing questions about proportionality, medical safety, constitutional rights and oversight, as CBS News reports.
"A device capable of delivering an electrical shock through direct contact with an individual presents substantial risks if deployed during civil arrests," the senators wrote.
The Department of Homeland Security defended the purchase, saying ICE personnel need equipment that can help them safely make arrests and de-escalate encounters. A DHS spokesperson said the agency reviews new technology to ensure it complies with applicable law enforcement policies and standards.
