The Trump administration plans to spend millions of dollars equipping immigration officers with gloves that can deliver electric shocks.
The Department of Homeland Security described the gloves as a “de-escalation device,” but the plans have drawn concern from some former Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials who have questioned use of the gloves against people accused of violating immigration laws, a civil offense. Critics have also expressed alarm over equipping immigration agents with another tool that they say could actually escalate their use of force.
ICE has already been criticized for its aggressive tactics as it carries out President Trump’s mass deportation campaign. Agents have deployed pepper spray against protesters, smashed car windows and dragged people out of vehicles, drawing calls for greater accountability.
In a notice published on Monday, the Homeland Security Department said it planned to purchase the “CTG-5 G.L.O.V.E.” and issue them to ICE officers and agents who work on immigration enforcement and criminal investigations. The contract could be worth up to $20 million, and the purchase could be complete by the end of March, according to the notice.
The department did not answer questions about how the gloves would be used, such as whether they would be used to apprehend suspects or during encounters with protesters.
“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,” the department said in a statement. “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.”
The Associated Press reported earlier about the notice.
The gloves are manufactured by Compliant Technologies, a Kentucky-based company that says its products “empower officers to de-escalate tense situations quickly.” A user manual for the gloves says the technology is capable of inhibiting “the subject from performing coordinated muscle movement.”
Jeff Niklaus, the founder of Compliant Technologies, declined to comment.