US ICE grants $16.7 million contract to buy thousands of electric shock gloves

The US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency has awarded a $16.7 million contract to purchase 6,000 pairs of electric shock gloves for field officers, despite concerns from human rights advocates. The contract, entered into through a no-bid arrangement, involves Compliant Technologies, a Kentucky-based firm. The devices, known as CTG-5 Generated Low Output Voltage Emitter or GLOVE units, are designed to deliver painful electric shocks and disrupt an individual's ability to respond.

Human rights groups argue that providing immigration agents with a concealed means of inflicting severe pain could lead to more harm and erode accountability. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has voiced alarm over the situation, warning that the gloves may result in increased public harm and decreased accountability. The gloves are intended to be issued to Homeland Security Investigations and Enforcement Removal Operations officers and agents.

The decision comes amid protests following fatal shootings of two U.S. citizens by ICE agents in Minnesota and concerns over conditions in ICE detention facilities. Over 50 individuals have died in ICE custody since the beginning of President Donald Trump's administration last year. Trump has defended his immigration crackdown as a means to enhance domestic security, while rights groups contend that it is discriminatory, violating free speech and due process rights and creating an unsafe environment, particularly for ethnic minorities who fear racial profiling.