ICE Awards $16.7M Contract for Shock Gloves Over Senate Objections

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement awarded a $16.7 million no-bid contract to Compliant Technologies LLC, a Kentucky manufacturer, for 6,000 pairs of electric shock gloves designed to control detainees and protesters who resist.

ICE published notice of the award Thursday in the Federal Procurement Data System—hours after 16 Democratic senators, led by Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto of Nevada, sent a letter to ICE acting director David Venturella urging him to cancel the purchase.

The contract includes support equipment and services, with delivery scheduled over the next six months.

"ICE officers cannot be trusted to use these devices appropriately," the senators wrote, citing concerns about limited oversight and accountability for use-of-force incidents. The letter came as President Donald Trump has intensified immigration enforcement operations nationwide.

Civil rights advocates have also opposed the purchase, pointing to documented complaints about ICE's use of force and lack of accountability.

The shock gloves deliver a painful electrical discharge upon contact with bare skin. In 2024, Nelson County, Kentucky, jailer Justin Hall demonstrated a similar device at his facility in Bardstown.

The contract includes support equipment and services, with delivery scheduled over the next six months.

Civil rights advocates have also opposed the purchase, pointing to documented complaints about ICE's use of force and lack of accountability.

The shock gloves deliver a painful electrical discharge upon contact with bare skin. In 2024, Nelson County, Kentucky, jailer Justin Hall demonstrated a similar device at his facility in Bardstown.