Chicago – August 27, 2026
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has awarded a $16.7 million noābid contract to purchase 6,000 pairs of gloves capable of delivering painful electric shocks, according to federal procurement records and reporting.
The deal, finalized this week with Kentucky-based Compliant Technologies LLC, covers the devices, support equipment and services over the next six months.
ICE says the āconductive distraction and deāescalation devices,ā marketed as G.L.O.V.E. (Generated Low Output Voltage Emitter), are intended to help officers control detainees and protesters who resist, functioning as normal patrol gloves until an officer presses a button to activate the electrical mode.
The gloves must contact bare skin to deliver a shock designed to cause pain and gain compliance.
The purchase has drawn sharp criticism from Democratic lawmakers and civil rights groups, who warn of misuse, inadequate training and oversight, and cite prior incidents involving similar gloves in local jails and schools.
A Senate letter urges ICE to cancel the contract, while DHS has defended the acquisition as part of routine equipment evaluations for safe arrests and removals.
