Washington DC - President Donald Trump's administration is investing millions to equip Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents with shock gloves.
In a notice published on Monday, the Department of Homeland Security announced plans to spend over $20 million on a device known as GLOVE – or Generated Low Output Voltage Emitter.
The agency described it as "a Conductive Distraction and De-escalation Device" that will be issued to Homeland Security Investigations and Enforcement and Removal Operations officers and agents.
According to the Associated Press, the GLOVE is manufactured by Compliant Technologies LLC of Lexington, Kentucky, and has been used in jails and police departments in recent years.
The devices function like normal gloves until agents activate their electrical mode, which delivers a pain stimulus when applied directly to someone's skin.
While a source studying the device described the shock as similar to a bee sting, civil rights advocates have pointed out that immigration agents are already facing heavy criticism over aggressive tactics and little to no oversight.
Since his return to office, Trump has deployed immigration agents to Democrat-run cities across the country to carry out deportation sweeps.
Their presence has led to protests and violence, and the deaths of several individuals, at least three of whom were US citizens, at the hands of federal agents.
The manufacturer warns that the GLOVE should not be used as punishment, against individuals exhibiting "verbal defiance or belligerence," or on high-risk populations such as children, pregnant women, the elderly, or disabled people.