ICE Plans to Equip Agents with Controversial Electric Shock Gloves

The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is preparing for a large-scale acquisition of electric shock gloves for its field agents, a move that has sparked significant controversy among civil rights advocates, experts on the use of force, and Democratic lawmakers.

According to a notice posted Monday on the Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) contracting opportunities portal, the agency intends to spend between $10 million and $20 million on these devices, known as CTG 5 G.L.O.V.E.—short for Generated Low Output Voltage Emitter—manufactured by Compliant Technologies LLC.

DHS described these gloves as a "Conductive Distraction and De-escalation Device" designed for agents in Homeland Security Investigations and Enforcement and Removal Operations, with delivery expected by March 31, 2027.

Details and Concerns about the Electric Shock Gloves

The operation of the device is simple yet contentious: they are regular patrol gloves that, when a button is pressed, activate an electrical mode capable of delivering up to 380 volts directly onto a subject's skin. Unlike Taser guns, they do not cause falls or leave visible marks. The manufacturer's manual sets restrictions: no more than two gloves should be applied at the same time, usage should not exceed 15 seconds in most situations, and they should be avoided on pregnant women, the elderly, minors, and individuals with severe disabilities.

Tom Homan, the White House's so-called "border czar," defended the plan in a television interview on Friday. "It's another tool to help someone comply when they are not doing so. You can't just go from 0 to 100 and have deadly force be your first option," he stated, comparing the gloves to existing tools like pepper spray or Tasers.

Opposition and Criticism

However, the proposal was met with immediate opposition. Kica Matos, president of the National Immigration Law Center, called it "repugnant and barbaric," accusing ICE of being "an out-of-control agency with an $80 billion discretionary fund that allows them to invent and finance new ways to inflict cruelty on our communities."

Jenn Rolnick Borchetta from the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) was even more direct: "ICE spent the last year showing this country they are too quick to use force. Now they can administer electric shocks with just the press of a button that maybe no one else can see they're using."

The debate arises amid a documented escalation in ICE's use of force. Incidents in detention centers increased by 37% in 2025 compared to the previous year, with at least 780 cases affecting over 1,300 people. At least six individuals have been fatally shot by immigration agents since 2025, including two drivers in July: Lorenzo Salgado Araujo in Houston, Texas, and Joan Sebastián Durán Guerrero in Biddeford, Maine.

Geoffrey Alpert, a criminology professor at the University of South Carolina, warned that the gloves would be "sold wholesale to a group of agents who may not be trained in other strategies like de-escalation," concluding that "user error is almost predictable at some level."

The device is also not without a history of misuse: in 2022, two prison officers in South Carolina faced criminal charges for using the G.L.O.V.E. on an inmate in two separate incidents.

Homan acknowledged that "it will take some time" before the gloves are deployed in the field, as ICE is still working on training protocols and other regulatory issues.