The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency has awarded a $16.7 million contract to purchase 6,000 pairs of gloves capable of delivering electric shocks, a move that has drawn sharp criticism from human rights groups and Democratic lawmakers.

The gloves, which resemble standard patrol gloves, can be activated by a button to emit a painful electric shock upon contact. ICE stated they would be used in "high-tension environments," including arrests, transporting detainees, and responding to civil disturbances outside detention facilities.

The contract notice was published just hours after a group of senators, led by Democrat Catherine Cortez Masto of Nevada, urged ICE to abandon the plan. In a letter to the acting ICE director, the senators cited "blatant and tragic misuse of force" in various cities, raising "significant skepticism about the agency's professional capability to safely deploy a new tool."

Since President Trump's immigration crackdown began, several people have been killed during ICE raids, and more than 50 have died in ICE custody, according to Reuters. Rights groups argue that the shock gloves could escalate violence and lead to further fatalities.

ICE describes the gloves as a "Conductive Distraction and De-escalation Device," but critics contend that their deployment is reckless and poses a threat to immigrant communities, calling for the contract to be canceled immediately.

Source: www.dw.com