• ICE plans to buy robot dogs
  • Investment could reach $2 million
  • New tools raise questions

The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) plans to allocate up to $2 million to purchase robot dogs to support operations considered dangerous for its agents.

The initiative appears in the acquisition planning system of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and contemplates incorporating Spot units, developed by Boston Dynamics, as well as accessories.

These four-legged robots are designed to move through difficult terrain, climb stairs, and enter spaces where initially sending an agent could pose a risk.

Equipped with cameras and sensors, they can perform remote inspections and execute certain tasks autonomously, expanding the technological tools available to ICE.

ICE Seeks to Use Robot Dogs in Dangerous Areas

According to the DHS justification, the robots would allow for improved personnel safety and obtaining information before agents enter confined, unstable, or hard-to-reach areas.

The technology could be used as a first line of reconnaissance: the operator can remotely control the robot while receiving images and data about the inspected environment.

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The proposal sets $2 million as the maximum investment limit, although the cited record does not mean that all that money has already been spent or that the robots are currently deployed.

The project takes on special relevance because it is part of a broader ICE equipment program that includes other technologies for migrant agents’ operations.

ICE’s Electric Gloves Spark Controversy

ICE Seeks to Use Robot Dogs in Dangerous Areas
ICE Seeks to Use Robot Dogs in Dangerous Areas. Photo Efe

Within this equipment effort is also a $16.7 million contract to acquire 6,000 pairs of electric shock gloves, a tool distinct from the robot dogs.

The devices, known as GLOVE, incorporate conductive electrodes in the palm that produce electric pulses when in direct contact with the skin and do not work through clothing.

The DHS presents them as a «de-escalation» tool, but their incorporation has raised questions about the limits of force use during migrant authority interventions.

The National Day Laborer Organizing Network (NDLON), an organization that defends immigrants and workers, has strongly questioned these devices and has even characterized their use as a form of torture.

Technology Opens Another Debate on ICE Operations

The robot dogs present a different function: their declared objective is to reduce human exposure to danger by allowing a machine to examine certain scenarios before agents enter.

However, the combination of new inspection technologies with other tools for physical interventions can fuel the debate about how ICE operations are changing and what their controls will be.

For now, the Spot record corresponds to a planned acquisition with a budget ceiling, so it will be necessary to observe how the process advances and how many units the agency finally purchases.

For immigrant communities, the development means another reason to stay informed about ICE procedures and know their rights in the event of an encounter with migrant agents.

Source: Efe, Telemundo, Excelsior