ICE plans to spend $20m equipping officers with electric shock gloves

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers in the US may soon be equipped with gloves that can deliver painful electric shocks. 

ICE plans to spend between $10m (£7.4m) and $20m (£14.8m) to provide officers and agents with "conductive distraction and de-escalation devices" by March, according to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

The devices, called Generated Low Output Voltage Emitter (GLOVE), must be applied directly to someone's skin to deliver the shock, but, unlike Tasers, they do not leave burn or contact marks.

They function as normal patrol gloves until the user presses a button to activate its electrical mode.

The gloves have previously been used by local law enforcement departments in settings such as prisons in the US.

In a statement, the DHS, which did not specifically mention the product, said: "ICE is constantly assessing the needs of our officers in the field to ensure they have the tools and equipment necessary to safely arrest and remove criminal illegal aliens from our country.

"Every decision is made with careful consideration and appropriately reviewed to ensure that any technology ICE utilizes is consistent with all applicable law enforcement policies and standards."

'Another dangerous tool'

The plans have drawn widespread criticism, with a fear that the devices could be misused chief among the concerns.

New York attorney general Letitia James said she was "outraged" by the proposal and warned that ICE officers who misuse the gloves in her state could face criminal and civil consequences.

Former ICE acting director John Sandweg, in an interview with news channel MS NOW, said: "It's too easy for this to get misused against a population that doesn't pose a threat."

Pramila Jayapal, a Democrat in Congress, wrote on social media that the gloves "won't make anyone safer" and were "another dangerous tool to target citizens and immigrants alike".

Meanwhile, Michael Mannheimer, a law professor at Northern Kentucky University who has written about police use-of-force, said: "One concern I would have is if ICE agents have this at their immediate disposal, will they use it more than they should? Will they jump over lesser force that could be appropriate and successful to attain compliance and instead use this first?"

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The product's manufacturer, Compliant Technologies LLC of Lexington, Kentucky, said the devices should not be used against some populations that ICE agents routinely encounter, including the elderly, small children and pregnant women.

The device's user manual also warned that the gloves should not be used in response to verbal defiance, or for punishment or torture.

A pending lawsuit

While the items are marketed as non-lethal and safe for the heart, a pending lawsuit alleges a 43-year-old man died in 2024 after being shocked 27 times with the gloves and 13 more times by a Taser at a prison in Richmond, Kentucky.

An internal investigation found that two of the glove shocks lasted 45 and 99 seconds apiece – far more than the manufacturer's recommended 15-second limit.

According to court documents, the Madison County Detention Center claimed that "these actions not only inflicted unnecessary pain but also heightened the risk of serious health complications".

The latest ICE controversy

ICE has faced significant scrutiny following a series of recent incidents related to the Trump administration's crackdown on immigration.

In January, 37-year-old US citizen Renee Good was shot dead in her car by ICE agents in Minneapolis, sparking demonstrations across the country.

Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old ICU nurse, was fatally shot by Border Patrol agents two weeks later.

Last month, a man died after being shot by an ICE officer in Houston, Texas.

And in another incident in Texas last year, a federal immigration agent shot and killed 23-year-old Ruben Ray Martinez during a late-night traffic encounter.

Arrests have also ramped up as the White House pursues its mass deportation agenda, with more than 10,000 arrests taking place across a five-day period in late June.

(c) Sky News 2026: ICE plans to spend $20m equipping officers with electric shock gloves