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ICE officers could soon carry electric shock technology directly on their hands as the agency expands immigration enforcement under President Donald Trump.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement plans to spend between $10 million and $20 million on specialized gloves capable of delivering painful electrical shocks to people resisting officers. The planned purchase immediately drew criticism Wednesday from Democratic lawmakers and civil rights advocates concerned about excessive force and potential abuse.
The device is called the G.L.O.V.E., short for Generated Low Output Voltage Emitter. It functions as a regular patrol glove until an officer activates its electrical capability. The glove must make direct contact with a person’s skin to deliver voltage designed to cause pain and gain compliance.
Unlike a Taser, the G.L.O.V.E. is designed to leave no burn or contact marks.
The size of ICE’s planned purchase suggests the technology could become widely available among officers and agents. That possibility has raised concerns as ICE continues aggressive immigration operations across the country.
New York Attorney General Letitia James was among officials who blasted the proposal Wednesday.
“We are outraged,” James said.
James warned that ICE personnel who improperly use the devices in New York could potentially face criminal or civil consequences. New York Gov. Kathy Hochul also criticized the federal government’s plans for the technology.
The Department of Homeland Security defended ICE’s broader approach to selecting equipment without specifically addressing the G.L.O.V.E.
“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,” DHS said. “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.”
Questions about the gloves extend beyond politics.
A pending lawsuit alleges a 43-year-old man died in 2024 after authorities shocked him 27 times with the gloves and another 13 times with a Taser at a jail in Richmond, Kentucky. According to court documents cited by The Associated Press, an internal investigation determined two applications of the glove lasted 45 seconds and 99 seconds. The manufacturer recommends a maximum duration of 15 seconds.
“These actions not only inflicted unnecessary pain but also heightened the risk of serious health complications,” the Madison County Detention Center investigation found.
The AP also identified two other lawsuits involving alleged injuries connected to the gloves. Both cases were dismissed.
The manufacturer’s own guidance places significant restrictions on the device. It warns against using the technology on elderly people, small children, pregnant women and severely disabled people. The manual also cautions officers against deploying it for punishment, torture, horseplay or merely because someone is verbally defiant.
Those restrictions are fueling a larger question: What happens when a pain compliance device is literally placed at an officer’s fingertips?
Former ICE acting Director John Sandweg said the potential for misuse worried him.
“It’s too easy for this to get misused, against a population that doesn’t pose a threat,” Sandweg said.
Rep. Pramila Jayapal also questioned whether ICE needs another method of force.
“This won’t make anyone safer and in fact just gives ICE another dangerous tool to target citizens and immigrants alike,” Jayapal wrote on X.
What are we doing? The Shocker like in Spider-Man?
Reps. Maxwell Frost and Delia Ramirez were among other Democratic lawmakers criticizing the planned purchase.
Michael Mannheimer, a Northern Kentucky University law professor who has studied police use of force, said immediate access to the gloves could tempt officers to bypass less aggressive methods.
“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?” Mannheimer said.
ICE’s multimillion dollar purchase now places an unusual piece of technology at the center of an already heated national debate over immigration enforcement.
Question: who will restrain the people wearing the gloves?
