▲ An electroshock glove known as "G.L.O.V.E." is demonstrated at a detention center in Oklahoma City, March 2023.
As the U.S. administration under Donald Trump steps up its crackdown on illegal immigration, it is moving to provide frontline agents with electroshock gloves.
According to U.S. daily The Washington Post and other media outlets on the 12th (local time), the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced the plan on the 10th.
Under the plan, the DHS intends to spend up to 20 million dollars (approx. 28 billion KRW) by March of next year to purchase thousands of "de-escalation and distraction conductive devices."
The device, referred to as "G.L.O.V.E.," is an electroshock glove manufactured by Compliant Technologies, a company based in Kentucky.
The gloves will be issued to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents, allowing them to respond to potential physical conflicts by using electricity to stimulate nerves beneath a suspect's skin.
In connection with this, a DHS spokesperson stated that they will secure "the tools and equipment necessary to safely arrest and deport undocumented immigrants who have committed crimes."
This move is expected to intensify controversy surrounding ICE's excessive use of force in enforcement operations.
Human rights activists have expressed concern over ICE agents using force without proper oversight or accountability, the Associated Press reported.
John Peters, an opponent of unlawful detention, said, "This device is like a bee sting," adding, "ICE agents could use it to subdue uncooperative individuals."
Compliant Technologies, the manufacturer, declined to comment regarding the DHS contract.
As ICE wields increasingly powerful authority under the Trump administration's anti-immigration stance, a series of fatalities have recently occurred during enforcement operations.
On July 7th of last year, a Mexican national was shot and killed by an ICE agent in Texas.
Six days later, on the 13th, a Colombian man was also shot and killed by an ICE agent in Maine.
(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)
※
Copying, redistribution, and unauthorized use in AI training are strictly prohibited.