U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is preparing to spend as much as $20 million on thousands of wearable electric-shock devices designed to control people through direct physical contact, a planned procurement that is drawing scrutiny from lawmakers, civil-rights groups and law-enforcement officials over training, accountability and potential misuse.
The purchase would cost between $10 million and $20 million, according to The Bulwark, which cited a Department of Homeland Security acquisition-planning document. The devices, known as Generated Low Output Voltage Emitters, or G.L.O.V.E.s, are manufactured by Compliant Technologies and marketed as an alternative to more serious forms of force.
Unlike a conventional Taser, which can deliver an electrical charge from a distance, the G.L.O.V.E. is worn on an officer's hand and requires direct contact with a person. Compliant Technologies describes the product as a Conductive Distraction and De-escalation Device, or CD3, and markets it as an "invisible partner" and "Force Multiplier."
The company says the technology provides law-enforcement, corrections, security and military personnel with another option for controlling confrontations without immediately escalating to potentially lethal force. The planned ICE purchase would represent a substantial deployment of the technology as the agency expands immigration-enforcement operations.
Trump administration border czar Tom Homan defended the devices as part of a graduated use-of-force approach. "It's another device to help someone get compliant when they are not," Homan told "Fox & Friends."
"You can't just go from zero to one hundred, right, and the first thing you go for is lethal force," Homan added.
The manufacturer's own operating instructions, however, place clear limits on when and how the gloves should be used. Compliant Technologies warns that they shouldn't be deployed merely because someone is verbally defiant or belligerent and says the technology must never be used for punishment or torture.
The manual also cautions against deploying the gloves on particularly vulnerable people, including small children, elderly people, pregnant women and people with severe disabilities. No more than two devices should be applied to one person at the same time, according to the instructions, while individual applications are supposed to be limited to 15 seconds.
Training requirements could become a central issue as ICE moves toward a broader rollout. Operators are required to be trained and qualified to use the equipment, with certifications valid for two years, while ICE is reportedly still developing its own protocols governing deployment.
A Kentucky lawsuit has intensified questions about what can happen when those limits aren't followed. The lawsuit alleges that correctional personnel shocked a man 27 times with the gloves and another 13 times with a Taser before his death.
An internal investigation found that two glove applications allegedly continued for 99 seconds and 45 seconds, respectively-far beyond the manufacturer's recommended 15-second limit. The allegations have provided critics with an example of how a device marketed as less lethal can still create significant risks when repeatedly or improperly deployed.
The physical design of the technology is also prompting concerns about accountability. Because the electrical system is incorporated into a glove, its deployment can be less visually obvious than the use of a conventional Taser.
Mendota Heights Police Chief Kelly McCarthy has questioned whether that characteristic could make the devices harder to monitor. Tasers can leave identification tags and other visible evidence after deployment, while the gloves don't produce the same physical trail, though they reportedly retain electronic usage data.
"I don't think they're going to de-escalate," McCarthy said. "I think they're going to escalate situations."
Political opposition is developing alongside those operational concerns. New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and Attorney General Letitia James have questioned whether deployment of the devices could raise civil-rights issues and have indicated that legal action could be considered depending on how they are used in the state.
Rep. Delia Ramirez is also working with organizations including the American Civil Liberties Union, Physicians for Human Rights and the Center for Victims of Torture on a congressional inquiry into the technology.
