U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is planning to spend up to $20 million on electric shock gloves for its officers, a move that has alarmed civil rights advocates already critical of the agency’s aggressive tactics during President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown. A notice published on the Department of Homeland Security website states that ICE intends to purchase thousands of CTG-5 G.L.O.V.E. units, Generated Low Output Voltage Emitters, describing them as “a Conductive Distraction and De escalation Device” to be issued to Homeland Security Investigations and Enforcement Removal Operations officers.
The devices, manufactured by Compliant Technologies LLC of Lexington, Kentucky, function as normal patrol gloves until officers activate an electrical mode that delivers a pain stimulus directly to a person’s skin, typically gaining compliance within seconds. The gloves could be distributed as soon as March 2027, according to the contract notice, which indicated that the solicitation for a no bid contract could be published as early as Friday. The planned purchase of electric shock gloves has already prompted questions about how such devices would be used during civil immigration enforcement.
Civil Rights Groups Raise Concerns Over Electric Shock Gloves
The American Civil Liberties Union has been among the most vocal critics of the planned purchase. Jenn Rolnick Borchetta, deputy project director on policing at the ACLU, argued that ICE’s record of using force makes the introduction of devices capable of delivering electric shocks particularly concerning. She questioned why the technology would be necessary for civil immigration enforcement and warned that people could be shocked without advance warning.
The manufacturer states that the device should not be used as punishment, against people merely exhibiting “verbal defiance or belligerence,” or on high risk populations such as children, pregnant women, or elderly or disabled people. John Peters, president of the Institute for the Prevention of In Custody Deaths, who is studying how the device has been used, said he envisioned ICE officers using the gloves to help remove uncooperative subjects from vehicles and buildings and to move people into or out of detention facilities.
The timing of the purchase is particularly sensitive given the mounting toll of Trump’s immigration crackdown. More than 50 people have died in ICE custody nationwide since Trump took office in January 2025, according to the agency’s own figures, while fatal shootings involving ICE agents have fueled protests over the agency’s tactics. The agency is also under pressure from the White House to arrest 2,000 people per day, while rights groups have accused the administration of violating free speech and due process rights and creating an unsafe environment for immigrant communities.
A DHS spokesperson defended the planned purchase, saying ICE continually assesses the needs of officers and seeks to provide equipment necessary to safely carry out arrests and removals. The department also said decisions involving technology are reviewed to ensure compliance with applicable law enforcement policies and standards. However, the planned use of electric shock gloves has intensified concerns about the potential for excessive force as the immigration enforcement campaign expands.
The agency is already facing scrutiny over conditions in detention centers, including findings that a major California ICE facility failed to provide adequate medical care. Against that backdrop, the proposed addition of electric shock devices to officers’ equipment raises broader questions about how immigration enforcement should balance officer safety, public safety, individual rights, and safeguards against potential abuse.
