Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers carry out a raid June 20, 2019, in Sherman, Texas.
WASHINGTON — Despite growing criticism, US Immigration and Customs Enforcement is moving ahead with plans to acquire electric-shock gloves, awarding a contract worth about $16.7 million to a Kentucky-based company, according to government documents published Thursday.
The agency plans to purchase 6,000 of the devices, which it describes as "de-escalation devices," but critics call a dangerous tool for use by law enforcement.
ICE says the equipment could reduce the need for stronger or potentially lethal forms of force. With proper training, the gloves could improve the safety of officers and the public, the agency said in its procurement notice.
The gloves, formally generated low output voltage emitters, are activated by pressing a button and can deliver an electric shock when they come into direct contact with the skin. They also drew criticism because the manufacturer warns that the technology can have physical effects that could lead to sudden death.
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Several Democratic lawmakers warned against the purchase before the contract was awarded. In a letter to acting ICE chief David Venturella, they said the use of disproportionate force by ICE officers in Los Angeles, Minneapolis, Houston and elsewhere raised serious questions about the agency's ability to responsibly use a device that could harm US citizens.
ICE operations are part of President Donald Trump's hardline deportation policy. The agency came under heavy criticism earlier this year after federal agents shot and killed US citizens Renée Good and Alex Pretti in separate street shootings. Fatal encounters have also been reported in Houston and Maine in recent months.
