House Democrats on the Homeland Security Committee are pressing Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Markwayne Mullin to scrap plans to equip immigration agents with electric shock gloves, urging him to "halt this procurement before more innocent lives are lost."
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) earlier this month posted a notice of its intent to buy the device, marketed as G.L.O.V.E. (Generated Low Output Voltage Emitter), which has sparked alarm over its potential use on the public. ICE operates under DHS, which Mullin leads.
In a letter to Mullin, Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.) highlighted ICE's history of excessive force under the Trump administration, noting that agents have shot 23 people and killed six, including three U.S. citizens. Many of those incidents involved individuals who were not targets of immigration enforcement, and some were exercising First Amendment rights. Thompson also referenced previous letters detailing how DHS personnel have permanently injured or nearly killed civilians with "less-lethal" weapons similar to the G.L.O.V.E.
"Indeed, ICE has demonstrated a pattern of misusing tools and devices, including rubber bullets and chemical sprays, in manners that put the public at greater risk of serious injury or death," Thompson wrote.
The letter comes amid broader scrutiny of federal law enforcement tactics, including the deaths of Alex Pretti and Renee Good during altercations with agents in Minnesota, and the blinding of several protesters by rubber bullets. The manufacturer, Compliant Technologies, itself warns in its product manual that failure to follow guidelines could result in "injury or death." The manual advises against using the gloves on the elderly, pregnant, or disabled people, noting that not all medical conditions are visible. It also cautions against two officers using the device on one person simultaneously and against skin contact lasting more than 15 seconds.
Thompson argued that given ICE's "horrific record of violence against the public," the agency must not be allowed to deploy a device that requires significant training and restraint. The Trump administration has defended the purchase, though it has not specified when officers might receive the gloves or in what settings they might be used, such as in detention facilities rather than in public encounters.
A DHS spokesperson reiterated the department's stance, saying, "ICE is constantly assessing the needs of our officers in the field to ensure they have the tools and equipment necessary to safely arrest and remove criminal illegal aliens from our country. Every decision is made with careful consideration and appropriately reviewed to ensure that any technology ICE utilizes is consistent with all applicable law enforcement policies and standards."
Border czar Tom Homan, speaking on Fox News, described the gloves as an intermediate option, saying, "Look, it's another device to help someone be compliant, whether or not—you know, you just can't go from zero to 100, right? There's a lot of training involved. There's still some background issues that need to be dealt with. So, the implementation of these gloves out in the field are going to be a while. I think they serve a better purpose in detention facility, where detainees get out of control and there's fights in the facility." Homan added that training protocols are still being written and reviewed, and that the rollout timeline remains uncertain.
The controversy adds to tensions over immigration enforcement, as Democrats continue to highlight concerns about civil liberties and the use of force. Meanwhile, recent polling shows Democrats with an eight-point edge in the midterm congressional race, a dynamic that could shape the political fallout from this issue.
