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ICE shock-glove push
US Democrats urged the Trump administration to halt Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s plan to procure electric shock gloves for officers, warning the devices could be misused and cause injury or death.
“ICE plans to spend up to USD 20 million by March to buy thousands”
Indian-American Congressman Shri Thanedar, along with Bennie Thompson and Lou Correa, sent a letter to Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin urging him to intervene before ICE moves forward with the purchase.
The lawmakers said ICE plans to spend up to $20 million by March to buy thousands of what the Department of Homeland Security described as “conductive distraction and de-escalation devices,” also described as a “de-escalation device.”
In the letter, the lawmakers argued, “Given ICE's horrific record of violence against the public, the agency must not be allowed to equip its officers and agents with a device that demands both significant training for and restraint by its users.”
Training and abuse fears
The Democrats warned that ICE personnel could incorrectly use or abuse the gloves, and they tied the risk to what they said was reduced use-of-force instruction for newly recruited officers.
They wrote, “Under Trump, ICE has hired unqualified officers and agents and rushed them through training programmes with reduced use of force instruction,” and said many should not have been hired at all.
The lawmakers’ concerns also referenced ICE’s broader use-of-force record during President Donald Trump’s mass deportation campaign, including criticism over aggressive tactics and calls for greater accountability.
In a separate account of the same push, FedScoop said the House Committee on Homeland Security sent a letter to Markwayne Mullin urging him to intervene and halt the procurement, warning the technology could be “incorrectly used or abused by officers resulting in injury or death.”
Procurement details and scrutiny
FedScoop reported that DHS said it intends to invest up to $20 million into Compliant Technologies’ Generated Low Output Voltage Emitter devices for Homeland Security Investigations officers and Enforcement Removal Operations agents, with a contract expected to be awarded later this year.
“invest up to $20 million into Compliant Technologies’ Generated Low Output Voltage Emitter”
The same report said the gloves are “low optics” and simple enough to use, turning on with the push of a button in just one second, or even faster when operating in standby mode, according to promotional material from Compliant Technologies.
FedScoop also quoted the vendor’s user guide warning that “The longer the [conductive distraction and de-escalation device] exposure, the greater the potential risk,” and noted the company recommended law enforcement avoid using the devices on certain members of the community.
At a Democratic-led shadow hearing in Maine, Mufalo Chitham of the Maine Immigrants’ Rights Coalition said, “Reports that ICE is investing $20 million in electrified gloves underscores the urgent need for immediate congressional action to further prevent predictable harm.”