13-08-2026
The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency plans to spend up to $20 million on electric shock gloves for officers working in the field, according to a procurement notice on the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) website. The devices, identified as CTG-5 Generated Low Output Voltage Emitter, or GLOVE units, are described by DHS as conductive distraction and de-escalation devices intended for Homeland Security Investigations and Enforcement Removal Operations personnel.
DHS says the gloves are designed to disrupt an individual’s ability to respond and that ICE officers receive de-escalation instruction and continuing use-of-force training. A DHS spokesperson said any technology used by ICE would undergo careful review to ensure compliance with law-enforcement policies, standards and applicable law.
The planned purchase has alarmed civil-rights organizations. The American Civil Liberties Union warned that giving immigration agents a concealed way to inflict pain could result in greater harm to the public and reduced accountability. The concern comes amid widespread criticism of ICE’s conduct during President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown.
Rights groups have also cited the fatal shootings of two U.S. citizens by ICE agents in Minnesota earlier in 2026 and conditions in immigration detention centers. More than 50 people have died in ICE custody nationwide since Trump took office in January 2025, according to the article. Nationwide protests have followed criticism of the agency’s tactics.
Trump has argued that the immigration crackdown is intended to improve domestic security. Rights organizations, however, say the campaign has infringed on free-speech and due-process rights and created an unsafe environment, particularly for ethnic minorities who fear racial profiling.
Entities: U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Enforcement Removal Operations (ERO), American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) • Tone: analytical • Sentiment: negative • Intent: inform
13-08-2026
The article reports that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is considering spending between $10 million and $20 million on electric shock gloves for agents working in Homeland Security Investigations and Enforcement Removal Operations. The devices, called the Generated Low Output Voltage Emitter, or GLOVE, can deliver up to 380 volts and are designed to be activated by a button while worn as ordinary patrol gloves. According to descriptions cited by the article, officers must apply them directly to a person’s skin to cause pain and gain compliance. Unlike Tasers, the gloves reportedly do not leave burn or contact marks.
The proposal has prompted strong criticism from Democratic lawmakers, civil rights groups and former immigration officials. The American Civil Liberties Union argued that concealed electrical weapons could increase harm and reduce accountability. New York Attorney General Letitia James said she was outraged and warned that officers who misuse the devices could face criminal and civil penalties.
The controversy is intensified by a pending lawsuit alleging that a 43-year-old man died in a Richmond, Kentucky, jail in 2024 after being shocked repeatedly with the gloves and a Taser. An internal investigation reportedly found that two glove shocks lasted 45 and 99 seconds, far beyond the manufacturer’s recommended 15-second limit, and concluded that the use of force increased the risk of serious health complications.
DHS defended the purchase as part of its effort to provide officers with equipment needed to safely arrest and remove people it describes as criminal undocumented immigrants. ICE said its personnel receive de-escalation and ongoing use-of-force training. The manufacturer prohibits use of the gloves for verbal defiance, punishment, torture or horseplay and warns against using them on vulnerable groups, including children, pregnant women and elderly people. A proposed no-bid contract could be issued as early as Friday and run through March 31, 2027.
Entities: U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Generated Low Output Voltage Emitter (GLOVE), Homeland Security Investigations, Enforcement Removal Operations • Tone: analytical • Sentiment: negative • Intent: inform
13-08-2026
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is preparing to spend between $10 million and $20 million on G.L.O.V.E. devices, electric-shock gloves designed to deliver a current when pressed against exposed skin. The proposed purchase has drawn criticism from civil-rights groups and Democratic officials, particularly because of allegations surrounding the death of Johnathan Mansfield, a 43-year-old Kentucky detainee.
Mansfield’s family claims officers repeatedly shocked him with an electric glove and Tasers at the Madison County Detention Center in September 2024, before he suffered cardiac arrest and later died. The family’s wrongful-death lawsuit alleges 27 glove applications and 13 Taser shocks. An independent sheriff’s investigation cited by the Lexington Herald-Leader recorded 23 glove uses, 13 direct-contact Taser shocks and two probe deployments. Investigators also found that one glove application lasted 99 seconds, exceeding the manufacturer’s recommended 15-second limit. The coroner attributed Mansfield’s death to an accidental overdose caused by delayed complications of methamphetamine intoxication, while the lawsuit cites medical assessments and an internal investigation linking the repeated use of force to his cardiac arrest. The case remains pending.
Two other lawsuits alleged injuries connected to the gloves, though both were dismissed. Critics warn that the concealed activation button could facilitate misuse, especially against people who do not pose a threat. The ACLU, former acting ICE director John Sandweg, New York Attorney General Letitia James and Democratic lawmakers have condemned or questioned the plan.
Manufacturer Compliant Technologies calls the G.L.O.V.E. a nonlethal “conductive distraction and de-escalation device.” Its instructions prohibit use on children, pregnant women and elderly people, as punishment, or merely because someone refuses a verbal command. The proposed procurement comes as ICE detention facilities report a broader increase in force incidents. DHS has defended its equipment-review process but has not explained why ICE selected the gloves. Bids could be sought as early as Friday, with a proposed contract running through March 31, 2027.
Entities: U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), G.L.O.V.E. electric-shock gloves, Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Compliant Technologies, Johnathan Mansfield • Tone: analytical • Sentiment: negative • Intent: inform
