Underwood Opposes DHS Plans to Spend Millions on Electric Shock Gloves for ICE

WASHINGTON — This week, Rep. Lauren Underwood, a member of the House Homeland Security Appropriations Subcommittee, wrote to the Department of Homeland Security in opposition to recently reported plans to spend up to $20 million to equip U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) personnel with electric shock gloves.

The devices, known as Generated Low Output Voltage Emitters, or G.L.O.V.E., are designed to be worn by officers and administer an electrical shock when an officer makes physical contact with an individual.

“The idea that we would spend millions of taxpayer dollars to put these electric shock gloves on the hands of ICE personnel is disturbing and completely unacceptable,” said Rep. Underwood. “This agency is already out of control, and they cannot be given another tool to terrorize and brutalize our communities. These devices should not be deployed under any circumstances, and I am demanding DHS abandon this procurement.”

The manufacturer of G.L.O.V.E., Compliant Technologies, warns against using the devices on elderly people, small children, pregnant women, and people with severe disabilities. Underwood is demanding answers about what restrictions DHS will place on their use, including protections for vulnerable populations and safeguards to prevent involuntary reactions caused by an electrical shock from being mistaken for resistance and used to justify additional force.

Underwood also raised concerns about accountability, particularly given recent incidents in which DHS’s initial characterization of use of force encounters has been contradicted by video and other evidence, as G.L.O.V.Es can administer shocks without leaving burns, marks, or scars,

The letter comes just weeks after Underwood met with DHS leadership about gaps in body worn camera deployment, where officials cited the significant costs of fully equipping ICE and CBP personnel with cameras. Underwood questioned why DHS is prepared to spend up to $20 million on electric shock gloves while those gaps remain.

Full text of Underwood’s letter can be found here:

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