Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on Wednesday announced its plans to spend up to $20 million to equip officers with gloves that force “compliance” by delivering a painful electrical shock, according to a published contract.

The manufacturer, Compliant Technologies, calls them “conductive distraction and de-escalation devices.” G.L.O.V.E. (Generated Low Output Voltage Emitter) is often known as a “zap glove.” It has been mostly used in prisons until now. ICE says that it may reduce the need for firearms and pepper spray, and that officers will not use the gloves on high-risk citizens like pregnant women. The shocks do not leave burns or contact marks, unlike TASERS, and the pain is reported to end soon after the officer discontinues a shock.

New York State Attorney General Letitia James said, in a news conference, that she is “outraged” by the plan, adding that her office is reviewing the proposal but that, right now, “it appears to be arbitrary and capricious… It appears to be in violation of a number of laws, including our constitution.” Governor Kathy Hochul said, “It appears to be, on its face, a violation of civil rights.” US Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-WA) said on X, “This won’t make anyone safer and in fact just gives ICE another dangerous tool to target citizens and immigrants alike.”

Jonathan Mansfield suffered a fatal heart attack in 2024 after receiving a combined 27 shocks from a G.L.O.V.E and 13 shocks from a TASER at Madison County Detention Center in Kentucky. An investigation found that two of the glove shocks lasted 45 seconds and 99 seconds, which far exceeds the manufacturer’s recommended maximum of 15 seconds. The company also warns that the gloves should not be used on people who are showing only “verbal defiance or belligerence” or on high-risk populations such as children, pregnant women or elderly people.

Demonstration videos released by the manufacturer show fit and prepared uniformed officers yelling and cursing as they drop to the ground during shocks. The gloves deliver shocks of 0.7 to 1.2 amps at 324 to 380 volts. “It’s immediate and sharp, and it will distract you. I call it like a bee sting,” said John Peters, president of the Institute for the Prevention of In-Custody Deaths.

In a statement, the Department of Homeland Security said: “ICE is constantly assessing the needs of our officers…to ensure they have the …equipment necessary to safely arrest and remove criminal illegal aliens.. Every decision is made with careful consideration and appropriately reviewed…”