ICE Plans to Equip Agents with Electroshock Gloves
The U.S. immigration agency intends to spend up to $20 million on devices that deliver painful electric shocks. Civil liberties organizations warn of the risk of excessive force.
The U.S. immigration agency intends to spend up to $20 million on devices that deliver painful electric shocks. Civil liberties organizations warn of the risk of excessive force.
The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) could soon equip its agents with electroshock gloves designed to quickly subdue individuals who resist. According to information released by the Associated Press on Tuesday, this is a controversial plan worth up to $20 million that has already drawn sharp reactions from civil rights advocates.
The device is known by the acronym G.L.O.V.E. (Generated Low Output Voltage Emitter), which also means "glove" in English. It is manufactured by Compliant Technologies LLC and functions like standard protective gloves until an agent presses a button to activate the electric mode. The shock is delivered through direct contact with the skin and, according to the manufacturer, causes a painful stimulus that typically results in immediate compliance.
"It's immediate and sharp; it will distract you. I compare it to a bee sting," John Peters, president of the Institute for the Prevention of In-Custody Deaths, whose organization studies the use of this device, told the Associated Press. Peters adds that it is an effective tool: "If an agent is facing any resistance from a person, this is certainly an effective tool."
According to him, one can imagine ICE agents using the gloves to pull uncooperative individuals out of cars or homes, as well as during entry and exit from detention facilities. "For smaller, weaker, or older agents, I think this offers a great advantage," Peters said, explaining that the device allows for quicker subduing and shortens the duration of confrontations.
The plan, however, has met with sharp criticism. Jenn Rolnick Borchetta, deputy director of the American Civil Liberties Union's (ACLU) policing project, believes the public should not trust that ICE agents will use the devices properly. "ICE showed this country last year that it is too quick to use force. Now they will be able to deliver electric shocks with a simple touch of a button, possibly without anyone else seeing what they're doing," she said.
Borchetta further warned: "Introducing gloves that can so easily be used to inflict terrible pain during interventions is a recipe for harming the public." The manufacturer, on the other hand, warns that the device should not be used as punishment, against individuals showing only "verbal noncompliance," or on vulnerable groups such as children, pregnant women, the elderly, or people with disabilities.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) issued a notice on Monday outlining a plan for ICE to procure thousands of "distraction and de-escalation devices" by March. According to the document, up to $20 million (approximately €18.4 million) has been allocated for this purpose. Agents using the gloves will be required to undergo training and renew their certification every two years.
Jeff Niklaus, founder and CEO of Compliant Technologies, declined to comment on the plan. "Unfortunately, we cannot discuss this topic," he wrote in an email response. DHS said on Tuesday that it was preparing a response to the Associated Press inquiry but did not immediately provide a comment.
