Cortez Masto, Colleagues Oppose ICE Rollout of Electric Shock Gloves

Las Vegas, Nev. – Today, U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) and 15 of her Senate colleagues called on the Trump Administration to abandon its reckless plan to outfit U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers with gloves that deliver painful electric shocks. Their letter also demands that if ICE proceeds with this purchase, it first provides Congress with answers and documentation for over 30 questions about how these devices will be used, the protocol for using them, safety guardrails, and accountability measures. On August 10, 2026, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) published a notice concerning ICE’s planned acquisition of the CTG-5 G.L.O.V.E., a glove designed to deliver a painful electric shock. The notice estimates the potential value of the acquisition between $10 million and $20 million. “We write to express deep concern about U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) plans to spend up to $20 million on gloves that deliver electric shocks,” the Senators began . “…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 . Therefore, we urge ICE to cancel the contract and reconsider the purchase.” “The proposed acquisition raises serious questions about necessity, proportionality, medical safety, training, accountability, and constitutional rights,” the Senators continued . “Those questions are particularly important given the significant public scrutiny surrounding ICE’s excessive use of force. A device capable of delivering an electrical shock through direct contact with an individual presents substantial risks if deployed during civil arrests – even more so if it is deployed without clear limits, appropriate training, and comprehensive oversight.” “At a time when the American people have demanded de-escalation in immigration enforcement, it is not clear why existing tools and tactics are insufficient for the agency,” the Senators wrote. “In the past year, DHS has repeatedly spent millions of taxpayer dollars on purchases it ends up not using, including $464 million for airplanes, $700 million on warehouses, and more than $2.25 million for SUVs wrapped with ICE branding. Many of these ICE transactions, including the planned electric-shock glove purchase, are completed through no-bid contracts that circumvent the normal competitive procurement process without a sufficient rationale.” “If ICE proceeds with purchasing $20 million worth of electric-shock gloves, Congress needs a clear understanding of the device’s safety and authorized uses,” the Senators concluded . In addition to Senator Cortez Masto, the letter was signed by Senators Angus King (I-Maine), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.), Peter Welch (D-Vt.), Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Angela Alsobrooks (D-Md.), Andy Kim (D-N.J.), Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), Jack Reed (D-R.I.), Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), and Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.). The full text of the letter, including the demands from the Senators should ICE proceed with this plan, can be found HERE . During the second Trump Administration, Senator Cortez Masto has been one of the loudest voices in Congress speaking out against ICE abuses and standing up for immigrant families. She introduced legislation to redirect excessive ICE funding to local police and made headlines with her refusal to continue funding ICE without guardrails. The Senator has led efforts to prevent the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) from sharing data with ICE. Recently, Senator Cortez Masto proposed comprehensive immigration reforms to fix the broken immigration system and create a pathway to citizenship for people who have lived and worked in the United States for decades. ###