The US Department of Homeland Security published a notice on August 10 outlining its plan to purchase US$10-$20 million worth of electric shock gloves for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents.
The “Generated Low Output Voltage Emitter,” which the manufacturer, Compliant Technologies, refers to as “The G.L.O.V.E,” can administer a painful electric current when applied to bare skin, causing “neuro-peripheral interference” that impairs physical movement.
Because of the potential health risks, Compliant Technologies recommends that the gloves not be used against older people, small children, people who are pregnant, and people with certain disabilities. These are all groups that ICE has previously targeted with arrest and detention.
The G.L.O.V.E.’s user manual also describes several possible physical consequences of the technology that can lead to sudden death.
Electric shock devices have long been abusively deployed around the globe, including as a method of torture and other ill-treatment. Given these risks, the European Union has implemented trade restrictions on these devices.
In 2023, the United Nations special rapporteur on torture determined that “direct contact electric shock weapons” are “inherently cruel, inhuman or degrading,” and recommended that governments ban them outright.
The scale of this technology’s potential harm in the hands of ICE, an abusive agency whose recruits are deployed with minimal training, could be considerable. The Trump administration has pursued a campaign of mass detention, arresting tens of thousands of people every month, many unlawfully.
ICE has committed widespread violence and abuse against immigrants and US citizens. This has included the unlawful use of excessive and lethal force, as well as the dangerous deployment of so-called “less lethal” weapons at close range. Use-of-force policies have not ended these violations.
Given ICE’s track record, its agents should not be armed with any technology that has a well-documented pattern of abusive use.
Congress has been funding ICE with little oversight. It should urgently inquire into the administration’s plans to purchase the electric shock gloves, their risks, and their potential for abuse.
