Overview
- DHS/ICE has an active contracting notice to buy G.L.O.V.E. gloves, with procurement documents showing potential spending of $10–20 million and deliveries planned through early 2027.
- The G.L.O.V.E., made by Compliant Technologies, delivers a painful electric stimulus only when pressed to exposed skin, is activated by a button, and does not work through clothing or hair.
- Agency officials and supporters describe the device as a less‑lethal option to gain compliance and say ICE will apply training, recertification and internal reviews before deployment and equip agents with body‑worn cameras.
- Civil‑rights groups, state officials and some lawmakers say the purchase risks abuse and legal challenges, citing ICE’s recent use‑of‑force scrutiny and a 2024 Madison County case in which repeated shocks were tied to a detainee’s fatal heart attack.
- Local corrections officials who already use the gloves say they are rarely applied and can deter resistance, but critics warn expanded federal use could change how frontline encounters unfold and increase calls for outside oversight.