US ICE agency to spend $16.7m on electric shock gloves

The much-criticised immigration agency has agreed a contract for 6,000 pairs of gloves that will deliver painful shocks to control resisting detainees and protesters.The immigration-and-customs-enforcement" class="entity-link entity-organization" data-entity-id="6751" data-entity-type="organization">United States immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency is to spend $16.7m on 6,000 pairs of electric-shock gloves.A notice on a federal database published on Thursday showed that the much-maligned agency, which has been the face of President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown, has agreed a no-bid contract with Kentucky-based firm Compliant Technologies for the supply of the gloves, alongside support equipment and services, over the next six months.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3Most Americans say Trump has gone too far on US immigration: Polllist 2 of 3US deports nearly 2,300 Mexicans to Guatemala over Mexico’s objectionslist 3 of 3Trump plans largest mass visa cancellation in history: Who will it affect?end of listICE stated in its procurement notice that the “de-escalation devices” will be used when dealing with detainees and protesters.Officers will deploy the equipment in “high-tension environments”, including during arrests, while transporting combative detainees, and when managing civil disturbances outside detention facilities, the agency said.“It will be used when a subject is actively or passively resisting and an officer needs to gain control quickly to prevent injuries to both parties.”The agency said the shocks would help officers handle aggressive inmates, prevent escape attempts, force people to expose hidden hands for handcuffing, and manage crowds.ICE added that the gloves offer an alternative to “more severe force” such as firearms, noting they would be used under “approved policy, training, and accountability standards”.Civil rights pushbackThe agency has concluded the contract despite mounting opposition from civil rights advocates and Democratic lawmakers, who contend officers cannot be trusted to use the technology responsibly.