BARDSTOWN, Ky. — White House border czar Tom Homan on Friday defended a plan to issue Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers gloves that deliver painful electric shocks, describing them as a way to end confrontations without resorting to deadly force, The Associated Press reported.
Homan said he could envision officers using the devices to remove uncooperative people from vehicles and homes and to move them in and out of detention facilities. Smaller, older or physically weaker officers would benefit most, he said, because the gloves can shorten struggles and allow faster takedowns.
The devices are marketed as the G.L.O.V.E., short for Generated Low Output Voltage Emitter, and are made by Compliant Technologies, a veteran-owned company based in Lexington, Kentucky. A button at the wrist activates a charge delivered on contact with skin. NPR reported that the tool works somewhat like a Taser but does not fire prongs that break the skin, and CNN reported that it is ineffective through clothing or hair.
ICE plans to spend between $10 million and $20 million on the equipment by March, according to a Department of Homeland Security notice published Monday and first reported by the AP. CBS News reported that the notice said a solicitation for a no-bid contract could appear as early as Friday. Axios reported that the gloves would be issued to officers and agents in Homeland Security Investigations as well as Enforcement and Removal Operations.
The manufacturer's user manual, cited by CNN, states that the device can deliver up to 380 volts and is intended to disrupt coordinated muscle movement. It advises that no more than two gloves be applied to a person at once, and that in many circumstances the device not be used for longer than 15 seconds. The manual also warns against using the device as punishment, against people who are merely verbally defiant, or on children, pregnant women, and elderly or disabled people. Users must recertify every two years.
The plan drew immediate objections. Kica Matos, president of the National Immigration Law Center, told CNN the proposal was "disgusting and barbaric" and accused the agency of devising new ways to inflict cruelty on communities. Jenn Rolnick Borchetta, deputy project director for policing at the American Civil Liberties Union, told the AP that the public should have no confidence officers would use the devices appropriately, noting that shocks could be delivered covertly. John Sandweg, a former acting ICE director, questioned why such a tool would be needed in civil immigration enforcement.
New York Attorney General Letitia James said at a news conference Wednesday that officers who misuse the gloves in her state could face criminal and civil consequences.
A DHS spokesperson said in a statement to CBS News that the agency continually assesses what its officers need in the field, and told Axios that personnel are highly trained in de-escalation and receive ongoing use-of-force instruction.
The plan comes as immigration enforcement tactics face scrutiny following fatal shootings and other use-of-force incidents, CNN reported. ICE is separately expanding its use of body cameras, according to Axios.