Shri Thanedar, Bennie Thompson and Lou Correa have urged to halt ICE’s planned purchase of thousands of electric shock gloves.
The lawmakers warned that the devices require extensive training and restraint.
The demand comes amid criticism of ICE’s tactics during President Donald Trump’s mass deportation campaign.
Indian-American Congressman Shri Thanedar and two other Democratic lawmakers have urged the US government to immediately halt Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) plan to purchase electric shock gloves, warning that the devices could be misused and lead to serious injuries or deaths. The lawmakers raised concerns over ICE’s use-of-force record and the training provided to its officers under the Trump administration.
Lawmakers Raise Concerns Over ICE Procurement
In a letter to Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin, Thanedar, Bennie Thompson and Lou Correa warned against equipping ICE officers with devices capable of delivering painful electric shocks.
ICE plans to spend up to $20 million to purchase thousands of what the Department of Homeland Security calls “conductive distraction and de-escalation devices”. The gloves are expected to be procured by March.
The lawmakers argued that using such equipment would require extensive training and strict restraint by officers.
“Given ICE’s horrific record of violence against the public, the agency must not be allowed to equip its officers and agents with a device that demands both significant training for and restraint by its users,” they said in the letter.
Thanedar Criticises ICE Training
Thanedar, the ranking member of the Congressional subcommittee on Oversight, Investigations and Accountability, accused the Trump administration of hiring unqualified ICE personnel and reducing use-of-force training.
“Many of these officers and agents should not have been hired at all, much less let loose on American streets with a badge, a gun, and electric shock gloves,” he said.
Thompson is the ranking member of the House Committee on Homeland Security, while Correa and Thanedar are ranking members of the congressional subcommittees on Border Security and Enforcement and Oversight, Investigations and Accountability.
ICE Faces Scrutiny Over Use Of Force
ICE has faced growing criticism over its tactics while implementing President Donald Trump’s mass deportation campaign.
The agency has been accused of using pepper spray against protesters and forcibly removing people from vehicles. ICE agents have also fatally shot at least six people during Trump’s second term, intensifying calls for greater oversight and accountability.
The three lawmakers have urged Mullin to intervene and stop the procurement, warning that the electric shock devices could be improperly used or abused by ICE personnel.
