US immigration officers to be equipped with gloves that deliver electric shocks

What the report says

US Immigration and Customs Enforcement is preparing to buy up to $20m worth of special gloves that can deliver electric shocks, according to a Department of Homeland Security note reported by BBC World News. The devices, called GLOVE and made by Compliant Technologies LLC, would be used by officers in Homeland Security Investigations and Enforcement Removal Operations, the parts of ICE involved in criminal investigations and immigration arrests, detention and deportation.

BBC World News said the gloves can produce up to 380 volts and are activated by a button. The company’s materials say the product is meant to complement existing law-enforcement tools, not replace them, and that it should be used with training and caution. The manual cited in the report advises against use on certain vulnerable groups and says another officer should be present to help restrain a subject. DHS told the BBC the agency reviews equipment choices carefully and considers legal and policy requirements.

The planned purchase has drawn criticism from civil liberties groups, including the American Civil Liberties Union, which warned that immigration officers already face scrutiny over force used in enforcement operations. The BBC noted that some other law-enforcement agencies already use the gloves, but that the ICE order would likely be the largest such purchase so far.

The development comes as ICE remains under pressure to carry out President Donald Trump’s deportation agenda. More broadly, it adds to debate over how immigration officers should be equipped and what safeguards are needed when force-related technology is introduced.