Lawmakers warn that the devices could be misused and cause serious injury or death as ICE faces scrutiny over its enforcement tactics
Indian-American Congressman Shri Thanedar and two other senior Democratic lawmakers have urged the Trump administration to stop a proposed Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) procurement of gloves capable of delivering electric shocks.
In a letter to Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin, Thanedar, Bennie Thompson and Lou Correa warned that the devices could be improperly used by ICE officers and potentially result in serious injury or death.
ICE plans to spend up to $20 million on thousands of what the Department of Homeland Security describes as “conductive distraction and de-escalation devices”. The procurement is expected to cover equipment for officers and agents, with the programme extending into next year.
The gloves, known as Generated Low Output Voltage Emitters, or G.L.O.V.E.s, are designed to deliver an electric shock through direct contact with a person’s skin. Officials have described them as a less-lethal tool intended to help officers gain compliance during confrontations.
However, the lawmakers questioned whether ICE personnel would receive sufficient training to use the equipment safely and appropriately.
“Given ICE’s horrific record of violence against the public,” the lawmakers said, the agency should not be equipped with a device requiring significant training and restraint
They also criticised the training and recruitment of ICE personnel under President Donald Trump, alleging that some officers had received reduced use-of-force instruction.
The demand comes amid growing scrutiny of ICE operations as the administration pursues its mass deportation campaign. Critics have accused the agency of using increasingly aggressive tactics during arrests and immigration enforcement operations.
Thanedar, Thompson and Correa have asked Mullin to intervene and stop the procurement before it proceeds further.
The lawmakers’ intervention adds to a wider debate in the US over the use of force by immigration officers and the safeguards required when new enforcement equipment is introduced.
