Vasquez calls for DHS to cancel $16.7M ICE electric-glove contract
U.S. Rep. Gabe Vasquez is calling on DHS to cancel a $16.7 million contract for electric shock gloves and ban their use in immigration enforcement and detention.
The New Mexico congressman is asking DHS to ban the devices in immigration enforcement and provide records on training, testing and deployment
Organ Mountain News report
WASHINGTON - U.S. Rep. Gabe Vasquez is calling on the Department of Homeland Security to cancel a $16.7 million contract for electric shock gloves intended for use by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents.
Vasquez, D-N.M., sent a letter to DHS seeking an immediate halt to the acquisition and deployment of the devices and a broader ban on their use in immigration enforcement and detention operations.
His office said more than 40 members of Congress joined the letter.
The lawmakers are also asking DHS for information about training and protocols for use of the devices, along with records describing how they were tested before being considered for deployment.
Vasquez’s office identified the device as the G.L.O.V.E., an electric shock system worn on the hand.
“Introducing low-visibility electric shock weapons into our immigration enforcement system is an unacceptable escalation that prioritizes physical intimidation and unaccountable force over human safety and administrative accountability,” Vasquez wrote in the letter.
The letter also cites concerns raised by human-rights and medical organizations about electric shock devices and asks DHS to redirect resources toward oversight and humanitarian standards rather than expanded use of force.
Vasquez has repeatedly pressed DHS and ICE over immigration enforcement practices and detention conditions, including through prior oversight letters and proposed legislation requiring greater disclosure of detention, deportation and deaths-in-custody data.
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