Power Grab/Fire anyone who can stop him
ICE plans a no-bid purchase of $10 million to $20 million in electric-shock gloves for its officers
A DHS procurement notice reported by the Associated Press on August 11, 2026 describes thousands of “conductive distraction and de-escalation devices,” to be bought by March 2027.
What happened
ICE plans to spend $10 million to $20 million, through a no-bid award, on thousands of electric-shock gloves for its officers by March 2027. The Associated Press reported the DHS procurement notice on August 11, 2026. The notice calls them “conductive distraction and de-escalation devices.”
The device is the G.L.O.V.E., or Generated Low Output Voltage Emitter, made by Compliant Technologies. It works as a patrol glove until switched to deliver a shock on skin contact. ICE said it could reduce use of firearms and pepper spray. The notice did not describe use restrictions or oversight.
In 2024, Jonathan Mansfield, a detainee in a Kentucky jail, died after 27 glove shocks and 13 Taser shocks. 404 Media later published the manufacturer’s manual, which, according to its reporting, warns the device may contribute to sudden death.
Who benefited
Compliant Technologies, a small manufacturer, stood to receive a no-bid contract of up to $20 million from a single agency. ICE gained a force option that is less visible than batons or firearms and can be used at close quarters during arrests.
Who wanted something
ICE’s procurement office issued the notice as part of a buildup funded by the 2025 budget law. DHS leadership under Secretary Noem had defended agents’ use of force through a year of shootings and injuries, and sought equipment framed as officer safety.
Who lost out
People arrested by ICE, including those in civil immigration proceedings, face a device whose own manual warns of possible sudden death. Oversight of its use rests with an agency whose excessive-force complaints, by its own account to Congress, rarely led to discipline. It is also your taxpayer money.
Why it matters
ICE is buying a weapon designed to produce compliance by pain, at scale, for a civil enforcement agency. It joins robot dogs, crowd-control munitions and masked operations as part of equipping immigration enforcement like a combat force.
Sources Associated Press (via KATV)JURISTTruthout404 MediaThe Guardian