Democratic senators are urging U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to cancel its plan to equip officers with gloves that can deliver painful electric shocks, according to infohub.kz.
A group of senators led by Democratic Senator Catherine Cortez Masto of Nevada sent a letter to ICE's acting director, questioning the need to spend up to $20 million on the devices and the agency's ability to use them appropriately. The letter was signed by Cortez Masto and 15 other Democratic caucus members.
The letter stated: "The blatant and tragic misuse of force in Los Angeles, Chicago, Minneapolis, Houston, Maine, and other locations around the country raises significant skepticism about the agency's professional capability to safely deploy a new tool that could be used to harm Americans without cause."
In addition to Cortez Masto, the letter was signed by Independent Senator Angus King of Maine and 14 other Democrats, who are in the minority in the Republican-controlled Senate. They are the latest to oppose the plan, which became public this month when ICE published a notice outlining plans to purchase thousands of "conductive distraction and de-escalation devices."
The devices are normal patrol gloves until an officer presses a button to activate the electrical mode. They must be applied directly to someone's skin to produce a painful shock, promoted as a way to gain compliance from resisting individuals. Some local jails and police departments have used them in recent years.
Cortez Masto and the other senators said the device "presents substantial risks if deployed during civil arrests — even more so if it is deployed without clear limits, appropriate training, and comprehensive oversight." They demanded that if ICE proceeds, it must publicly disclose details on officer training and how glove use will be documented and reviewed internally.
White House border czar Tom Homan has argued the gloves could be another way to gain compliance without deadly force and could be particularly effective in detention settings. He said it will be months before deployment as the agency works out training and policy details.