In brief
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) will purchase thousands of gloves that can produce 380‑volt shocks when a button is pressed. Manufactured by Compliant Technologies, the devices can deliver up to 30 pulses per second and log every use. Civil‑rights advocates, including the ACLU, say the weapons could foster unchecked force amid a pattern of violent incidents by ICE officers. DHS justifies the purchase as a safety tool to aid arrests and deportations, but critics warn that the gloves may create a covert means of intimidation.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has announced plans to purchase up to 3,000 pairs of gloves that can deliver a 380‑volt shock when a button is pressed. The purchase, costing about £14.8 million, is intended to give agents a covert way to compel compliance during arrests and deportations.
The devices, made by Compliant Technologies, can deliver up to 30 pulses per second and record each activation in an embedded microprocessor. The user manual advises against using the gloves on the elderly, children, pregnant women or the severely disabled, and recommends that a second officer be present to restrain the subject.
Critics, including the American Civil Liberties Union, argue that the gloves could increase the risk of abuse, adding that ICE is already under scrutiny for violent incidents and fatal shootings. They warn that an electric‑shock tool might embolden agents without sufficient oversight.
In a DHS statement, officials said the gloves would be deployed only when other measures are ineffective or when a suspect is actively resisting. The agency framed the purchase as a safety measure to protect officers while removing illegal aliens from the country.
The move follows heightened calls for accountability after high‑profile incidents, such as the fatal shooting of a Mexican national in Texas and the death of a Colombian national in Maine. ACLU officials say the gloves may raise the stakes of force while diminishing transparency.
