The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is preparing to approve a budget of up to $20 million to purchase "electric shock gloves" for field officers, sparking heavy criticism and opposition from human rights organizations concerned that the device could be used as a means of torture and rights violations without effective oversight.
ICE plans to acquire gloves capable of delivering electric shocks to control suspects during operations. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has indicated that ICE may allocate up to $20 million (approximately 663 million Thai baht) for the purchase of this equipment.
A document posted on the Department of Homeland Security’s website states that the device, called the Generated Low Output Voltage Emitter (GLOVE), is designed to emit electric shocks to disrupt an individual's ability to resist officers.
The Department of Homeland Security explained that GLOVE is a pain compliance tool intended to divert attention and help de-escalate violent situations. It will be issued to officers and agents of the Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) unit, responsible for combating transnational crime, and the Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) unit, which handles the arrest, detention, and deportation of immigration violators.
According to the manufacturer, the glove can deliver up to approximately 380 volts of electricity and can discharge up to 30 times per second via a button on the glove. It also includes a microprocessor that records device activations.
Unlike stun guns that fire sharp metal probes into the body and can deliver up to 50,000 volts, the GLOVE requires direct skin contact to transmit electricity and does not complete an electrical circuit through the body as stun guns do.
The manufacturer claims the device does not cause injury and is already used by several law enforcement agencies. However, the user manual advises against use on elderly people, young children, pregnant women, and individuals with severe disabilities, and recommends that another officer assist in controlling the individual being subjected to the glove.
The purchase plan has raised concerns among human rights groups, especially the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), which criticizes that placing a device capable of inflicting severe pain discreetly in officers’ hands could increase harm to the public and make monitoring use of force more difficult.
Jane Rothnick Borchetta, deputy director of use-of-force policy at the ACLU, said ICE has demonstrated over the past year that officers are quick to use force, leading to severe consequences and, in some cases, deaths of both U.S. citizens and non-citizens. She added that equipping officers with devices that deliver electric shocks via a small button on the hand may make it harder for bystanders to observe instances of force being used.
Meanwhile, the Department of Homeland Security affirmed that ICE continuously assesses field officers’ needs to ensure they are equipped with the necessary tools to safely apprehend and deport immigration law violators.
The department also stated that ICE officers receive training on de-escalation techniques and ongoing use-of-force instruction, with all decisions carefully reviewed to comply with relevant laws and law enforcement standards.
This planned purchase comes amid intense criticism of ICE's aggressive immigration enforcement under President Donald Trump's administration, which has focused on increasing arrests and deportations.
Previously, ICE officers have been involved in fatal shootings during immigration operations, including cases such as Mexican national Lorenzo Salgado Araujo in Texas and Colombian national Johan Sebastian Duran Guerrero in Maine.
Human rights groups have also expressed concerns about conditions within ICE detention centers. Agency data indicate that over 50 detainees have died in ICE custody nationwide since Trump took office in January last year.
The Trump administration maintains that its immigration enforcement aims to enhance national security, while human rights advocates accuse the policies of infringing on free speech, due process rights, and creating unsafe environments, particularly for minority groups fearing racial discrimination.
Regarding the GLOVE procurement, the Department of Homeland Security stated that a non-competitive contract award could be announced as soon as this Friday. If executed, this purchase would represent the largest publicly disclosed order for Compliant Technologies, the manufacturer of this equipment.