US immigration agency seeks up to $20m for electric-shock gloves

US Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents could soon be equipped with gloves capable of delivering electric shocks.

ICE plans to spend up to $20 million to procure thousands of devices described as capable of "distracting and de-escalating" subjects for use by its agents, with purchases to be completed by March next year, according to AP and other media reports Wednesday.

The device is called the G.L.O.V.E. — short for Generated Low Output Voltage Emitter — and has been used by some prisons and police departments in recent years.

A Department of Homeland Security notice indicates that a sole-source contract could be made public as early as Friday. DHS said it was preparing a response to AP's inquiry and did not offer an immediate comment.

According to the manufacturer, the device functions as a standard patrol glove until the agent activates electric mode by pressing a switch. The painful stimulus is delivered only through direct skin contact and can typically produce a reaction within a few seconds.

John Peters, director of the In-Custody Death Prevention Institute, who is researching use of the device, told the New York Post that the sensation is "immediate, sharp and distracting," adding, "I describe it as feeling like a bee sting."

He said he expects the gloves to be used to remove uncooperative individuals from vehicles or housing, or to move detainees in and out of detention facilities.

The planned procurement comes as ICE already faces criticism for using force during President Donald Trump's immigration enforcement operations with little oversight or accountability.

Amid the controversy over use of force, ICE also released a body camera policy on Saturday. CNN reported that the policy requires at least one member of each arrest team to wear a camera. However, even if footage is made public, all identifying information — including agents' faces, names and badge numbers — will be obscured.