DHS seeks $20 million for electric shock gloves for ICE agents

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is seeking up to $20 million to equip U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers with electrified gloves. The procurement would make ICE the first federal agency to utilize the technology, which is designed to deliver painful electric shocks to individuals to gain compliance.

The devices, known as G.L.O.V.E. (Generated Low Output Voltage Emitter), are manufactured by Compliant Technologies LLC, a firm based in Lexington, Kentucky. According to the DHS notice, the agency aims for the equipment to be delivered by March 2027. A DHS spokesperson stated that the agency is constantly assessing the needs of field officers to ensure they have the necessary tools to safely arrest and remove criminal illegal aliens.

Enforcement Context

This procurement occurs during an expanded immigration enforcement crackdown under the Trump administration. While electrified gloves have previously been adopted by some local jails and police departments, they have not yet been used at the federal level.

The move comes as ICE faces increased scrutiny over recent fatal shootings where body-worn cameras were not utilized. In response, the agency is accelerating the deployment of body-worn cameras to all field officers, with a target completion date of August 2026.

Accountability Concerns

Civil rights organizations have raised alarms over the nature of the technology. The ACLU argues that the gloves provide a concealed method of inflicting pain, which could lead to a higher frequency of force being used with less accountability. Because the shocks can be delivered via a button press that may be invisible to observers, critics fear the potential for abuse during protests and civil immigration enforcement.

"Introducing gloves that can so easily be used to deliver terrible pain in encounters is a recipe for harm to the public," said Jenn Rolnick Borchetta, deputy project director on policing at the ACLU.

Future Outlook

As the DHS moves toward the March 2027 delivery goal, the focus remains on whether the deployment of body cameras will provide sufficient oversight for the use of these devices. It remains to be seen how the federal government will regulate the specific triggers for using the G.L.O.V.E. system in the field.