ICE WANTS TO GIVE OFFICERS ELECTRIC SHOCK GLOVES - AND CRITICS SAY IT’S DEEPLY TROUBLING

By OPB · August 16, 2026 · 2 min read

ICE is preparing to put a new weapon directly into the hands of its officers: electric shock gloves. The devices, known as G.L.O.V.E. (Generated Low Output Voltage Emitter), look and function like ordinary patrol gloves until an officer activates the electrical mode. Once switched on, grabbing someone can deliver a painful electrical shock intended to force compliance. ICE plans to spend between $10 million and $20 million acquiring the technology. (AP News) Supporters argue the gloves could actually reduce injuries by giving officers a less-lethal alternative to Tasers, pepper spray or firearms. White House border czar Tom Homan has defended them on exactly those grounds. (AP News) But critics see something very different. They are asking what happens when an agency already facing accusations of excessive force gives officers a weapon that can inflict intense pain with the push of a button, and that may not even be obvious to bystanders. Those concerns aren’t appearing in a vacuum. In New Bedford, Massachusetts, video captured ICE agents smashing a vehicle’s window and forcibly removing an asylum seeker. His attorney said agents had mistaken him for the person they were actually looking for. (CBS News) In Maryland, another widely circulated video showed immigration agents smashing a woman’s car window before pulling her from the vehicle after she repeatedly asked why she was being arrested and requested a warrant. (CBS News) In Chicago, ICE faced allegations of excessive force during a major enforcement operation that included smashed vehicle windows and masked officers. The controversy intensified after an American citizen was mistakenly detained and reportedly tased multiple times. ICE denied using excessive force and defended its operations. (AP News) And now officers could have electricity built directly into their gloves. Civil liberties advocates say that is precisely what makes the technology so concerning. Unlike a Taser being drawn and fired, an electrical shock delivered through someone’s hand could be much harder for witnesses to recognize. The manufacturer says the gloves are a nonlethal de-escalation tool and warns against using them on children, pregnant people, elderly people and certain other vulnerable individuals. Officers are also expected to receive training before deployment. (AP News) But the larger question isn’t simply whether the gloves work. It’s whether an agency already under intense scrutiny for aggressive enforcement should be given an almost invisible way to inflict pain during an arrest. ICE calls it another tool for safely gaining compliance. Critics fear it could become something much darker. And soon, the difference between an ordinary gloved hand and an electrical weapon could be nothing more than the press of a button.