U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) may soon equip some officers with gloves capable of releasing up to 380 volts of electricity in short pulses. They are intended to overwhelm sensory nerves, cause immediate, intense pain, and disrupt coordinated muscle movement.
The gloves are called G.L.O.V.E. (Generated Low Output Voltage Emitter) and are made by Compliant Technologies, a company based in Lexington, Kentucky.
How Do They Work, and How Much Will They Cost?
The device uses positive and negative poles in the palm to trigger a sensory response in the skin upon contact. It requires direct skin contact and does not work through clothing. The manufacturer’s manual states that no more than two gloves should be used on one person at a time, and that their use should not exceed 15 seconds in most cases.
The manufacturer prohibits their use on children, pregnant women, older adults, and people with disabilities. Officers must complete training and be recertified every two years.
DHS plans to spend between $10 million and $20 million to purchase these devices through a no-bid contract. The agency hasn't specified how many gloves it intends to buy or the individual cost of each one. The procurement forecast lists March 31, 2027, as the contract completion date.
Why Is ICE Implementing This?
In a statement to the BBC, DHS said that “ICE constantly evaluates the needs of our officers in the field to ensure they have the tools and equipment necessary to safely arrest and remove criminal aliens who are illegally present in our country.”
Tom Homan, the White House’s “border czar,” defended the measure, arguing that the gloves would give officers another "nonlethal" use-of-force option, comparable to a TASER or pepper spray. He added that it would take time before officers begin using them because the agency is still developing training protocols.
In Homan’s own words: “It’s another device to help someone comply when they don’t.”
Is It Legal to Shock Someone During an Arrest?
Unlawful presence is generally a civil immigration violation, not a crime. For that reason, civil rights organizations question whether a “controlled pain” tool should be used during civil immigration enforcement, something normally reserved for a correctional context, such as jails and prisons.
Their use in correctional settings has already led to litigation. A pending lawsuit alleges that, in 2024, a 43-year-old man was shocked with the glove nearly 30 times in a Kentucky jail and later died after suffering cardiac arrest at a nearby hospital.
The Fourth Amendment protects everyone from unreasonable use of force during arrests. Courts evaluate the issue case by case, considering the perceived threat, the person’s resistance, and the surrounding circumstances.
Unlike in prisons, no clear oversight currently governs how, when, or against whom these gloves will be used during open-field operations. That is precisely what lawmakers and civil rights groups are criticizing: using this technology on a person already in custody in a cell is not the same as using it on someone in the street during an immigration arrest. They question whether officers in fast-moving, public encounters will use it within recommended safety limits.
Political and Legal Concerns
The political reaction has included statements from New York Governor Kathy Hochul and Attorney General Letitia James, who warned that they would pursue legal action against DHS if anyone in New York were injured by the devices. Other Democratic representatives described the measure as “sadistic” and criticized both the expense and the danger of giving ICE additional weapons after U.S. citizens and immigrants have had deadly encounters with ICE agents.
Several Republican representatives, meanwhile, have defended the gloves as a “nonlethal” alternative.
In short, using these gloves would not necessarily be illegal on its face. But serious concerns remain about exactly how they will be used. Civil rights advocates and some lawmakers argue that, given ICE has repeatedly faced allegations of excessive force and inadequate training, the new method could create another opportunity for abuse.
