Letter signed by Democratic senators calls on ICE to halt electric shock gloves

A group of mostly Democratic senators pressed for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to not use gloves that can electrically shock people in a Thursday letter.

In the letter addressed to ICE acting Director David Venturella, the senators said they were writing “to express deep concern about U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) plans to spend up to $20 million on gloves that deliver electric shocks.”

“Over the past year, ICE personnel have been involved in numerous well-documented incidents of excessive force and civil rights violations. These incidents have shown the American people that ICE personnel are not adequately trained or accountable for their interactions with civilians,” the senators wrote.

The letter was signed by Sens. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.), Angus King (I-Maine), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.), Peter Welch (D-Vt.), Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Angela Alsobrooks (D-Md.), Andy Kim (D-N.J.), Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), Jack Reed (D-R.I.), Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) and Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.).

Earlier this month , the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) published a notice outlining plans to give ICE officers gloves producing painful electric shocks. The agency was planning to pay up to $20 million for the new devices, also known as the Generated Low Output Voltage Emitter (G.L.O.V.E.), which could be used by officers in the field amid immigration operations.

“ICE is constantly assessing the needs of our officers in the field to ensure they have the tools and equipment necessary to safely arrest and remove criminal illegal aliens from our country,” a DHS spokesperson previously told NewsNation.

The senators wrote in their letter that “the American people have made it clear that ICE must de-escalate its immigration enforcement operations.”

“ICE must refrain from deployment of the G.L.O.V.E. and instead invest in de-escalation tools, training, and accountability,” they added.

The Hill has reached out to ICE for comment.