• California seeks to ban these gloves
  • DHS considered a multimillion-dollar investment
  • AB 2760 faces the legislative process

California has opened a new front against migrant control tactics after lawmakers pushed a proposal to prevent ICE agents and other law enforcement from using electric gloves.

The initiative emerged after immigrant and civil rights advocacy groups protested the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) plans to incorporate this technology into its control tools.

The debate revolves around devices capable of producing an electric shock through direct contact, promoted as a less lethal alternative for quickly controlling a person.

However, critics of the technology question its necessity, potential risks during operations, and the impact its use could have on communities already facing a strong migrant presence.

California Seeks to Ban ICE’s Electric Gloves

The AB 2760 project, presented by Democratic Assemblywoman LaShae Sharp-Collins, aims to prevent local, state, and federal agents from possessing, purchasing, or using these devices in California.

The proposal also seeks to close another avenue: preventing state public resources from being used to buy technology that its promoters consider unnecessary for police operations.

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“We cannot spend state money or taxes on technology that does not benefit our state,” Sharp-Collins declared while defending the initiative during a press conference in Sacramento.

The legislator also argued that the ban should equally protect students, teachers, business owners, and anyone else who may encounter law enforcement.

What Are the Electric Gloves That ICE Could Use?

The controversy involves the CTG-5 from Compliant Technologies, a device similar to a thick work glove that can administer a shock when it comes into direct contact with a person.

According to information released about the equipment, the glove can emit 380 volts, while the manufacturer claims that its technology has less power than traditional devices like Taser guns.

DHS had considered investing between $10 million and $20 million in these devices for ICE, arguing that they could provide another non-lethal control tool also used by other police agencies.

The ACLU, on the other hand, has questioned these devices and considers them potential instruments of intimidation, increasing doubts about their use during arrests and migrant operations.

Electric Gloves Open Another Clash Over ICE

Democratic Assemblyman Alex Lee also questioned whether incorporating a tool that requires physical contact and produces an electric shock can truly be considered a strategy to reduce tensions.

“ICE and law enforcement do not need another tool,” Lee stated, pointing out that authorities already have different mechanisms considered less lethal to control risk situations.

The battle, however, still goes through the legislative process: the presentation of AB 2760 does not mean that electric gloves have been automatically banned in California.

The advancement of the initiative will determine how far California can go to restrict within its territory a tool that could be used by federal immigration agents.

Sources: UnoTv, Los Angeles Times,