DHS notice outlines ICE plan to equip officers with shock-delivery “G.L.O.V.E.” gloves at up to $20 million

The Department of Homeland Security has outlined plans to provide Immigrations and Customs Enforcement officers with gloves designed to deliver electric shocks, according to a DHS notice described by The Hill. The planned devices are referred to as a “Generated Low Output Voltage Emitter,” or G.L.O.V.E., and the notice indicates the department is preparing an acquisition with spending projected at up to $20 million.

In its notice, DHS framed the effort as a way to equip ICE officers with an alternative less-lethal tool, while the specific operational details and deployment scope were not fully laid out in the reporting. The Hill reported that the gloves are intended to deliver painful electric shocks, describing the concept as part of ICE’s broader use-of-force equipment.

The Hill said DHS published the notice on Wednesday and that it outlined the department’s intent to spend up to $20 million on the gloves. The report did not provide additional figures on the number of units, delivery schedule, or which ICE components would receive the equipment first, and those specifics were not confirmed in the information provided for this story.

Advocates and critics of electric-shock devices have frequently raised concerns about safety, accountability, and appropriate training, while law-enforcement proponents have pointed to the potential for a less-lethal option in high-risk encounters. The DHS notice described in the report did not, in the provided information, resolve those disputes, but it did place the department’s procurement step on the record.

DHS’s publication of the notice indicates that the procurement process is moving through internal planning and contracting steps before any field deployment. If and when the gloves are acquired and issued, they would join existing ICE equipment and use-of-force practices, potentially affecting officer tactics during enforcement encounters.

The next concrete step for the public record would be whether DHS follows the notice with a contract award, an updated technical or operational description, or additional guidance on training and usage. For oversight purposes, the relevant question would be what DHS requires for officer instruction and documentation of when and how the devices may be used, as well as how the department addresses injury reporting and after-action review.

The plan’s practical effect depends on deployment decisions inside ICE and the content of any final acquisition documents. While the report provides the cost cap and the device’s intended function as described in the DHS materials, additional details such as specifications, training requirements, and implementation timelines were not included in the supplied information and would require review of DHS procurement or acquisition records.