U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has awarded a $16.7 million no-bid contract to Kentucky-based Compliant Technologies LLC for 6,000 G.L.O.V.E. devices, or Generated Low Output Voltage Emitters. The patrol gloves can deliver painful electric shocks through direct skin contact after an officer activates electrical mode, and the six-month purchase includes support equipment and services. ICE and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) describe the devices as a conductive distraction and de-escalation tool for arrests, detainee transports and disturbances involving active or passive resistance. The purchase has drawn opposition from congressional Democrats, the American Civil Liberties Union and other rights advocates, who question proportionality, medical safety, constitutional rights, training and oversight. The ACLU warned that giving immigration agents a concealed way to inflict pain could increase harm and reduce accountability. The procurement comes as ICE faces protests and heightened scrutiny over use-of-force incidents, including fatal shootings of two U.S. citizens in Minnesota earlier this year, while more than 50 people have died in ICE custody nationwide since President Donald Trump took office early last year. Trump says the immigration crackdown is intended to improve domestic security; rights groups say it is discriminatory, threatens free speech and due process, and creates particular risks for ethnic minorities concerned about racial profiling.