ICE plans $20M glove purchase for officers

Still, the plan is drawing strong pushback. Civil rights advocates say ICE already faces criticism for how it uses force while carrying out President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown, and they argue the agency lacks meaningful oversight and accountability. Jenn Rolnick Borchetta, deputy project director on policing at the American Civil Liberties Union, said the public should not trust ICE officers to use the technology properly and questioned why it is needed for civil immigration enforcement.

Rolnick Borchetta also warned that people shocked by the gloves may not get advance warning. She said ICE spent the past year showing the country that its officers are too quick to use force, and argued that a device that can deliver pain with the push of a hidden button creates a recipe for harm. The manufacturer says the gloves should not be used as punishment, against people who are only verbally defiant or belligerent, or on children, pregnant women, elderly people or disabled people.

Supporters of the technology say it is generally meant for narrow jail and transport settings rather than street patrols. Compliant Technologies says the gloves have been used to control violent suspects refusing to enter squad cars and inmates who are harming themselves or threatening officers. Peters said misuse by a small number of employees would not be surprising, as with other policing tools, but he said injuries are unlikely if the devices are used properly.

The company says officers must complete training before using the devices and must be recertified every two years. That training requirement is likely to matter as ICE moves ahead with a tool that sits at the center of a larger national fight over immigration enforcement, use of force and the limits of agency discretion. For American readers, the ICE glove purchase raises a basic question about how far federal officers should go in carrying out arrests and removals.