Washington: Indian-American Congressman Shri Thanedar and two senior House Democrats have asked the Trump administration to halt an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) plan to spend as much as $20 million on gloves capable of delivering electric shocks.
The lawmakers cited a warning from the device’s manufacturer that its use “may result in injury or death” and asked whether ICE personnel would receive sufficient training to operate it safely.
Thanedar, the ranking member of the House Homeland Security Subcommittee on Oversight, Investigations and Accountability, joined committee ranking member Bennie Thompson and border security subcommittee ranking member Lou Correa in raising the alarm.
In a letter to Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin, they demanded that the department intervene before the proposed procurement moves forward.
ICE announced on August 10 that it planned to spend up to $20 million on the electric-shock gloves, according to the Democratic members of the House Homeland Security Committee.
The release did not identify the manufacturer, provide the proposed number of gloves or explain when ICE intended to complete the purchase.
The lawmakers said that equipping immigration officers with another potentially lethal device posed particular risks because of what they described as the agency’s record involving deadly force and misuse of weapons classified as less lethal.
They also raised concerns about reduced training requirements for newly recruited ICE personnel.
“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,” the lawmakers wrote.
“Under Trump, ICE has hired unqualified officers and agents and rushed them through training programs with reduced use of force instruction,” they alleged.
“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,” they added.
The three representatives warned that the devices could be misused by ICE officers, potentially causing serious injury or death.
Their statement did not include a response from the Department of Homeland Security, ICE or the manufacturer to the allegations.
It also did not provide ICE’s rationale for seeking the technology or describe any safeguards proposed by the agency.
Electric-shock devices are generally intended to temporarily incapacitate a person. However, their safety can depend on the device’s power, how it is used, the duration of contact and the medical condition of the person subjected to the shock.
The proposed expenditure is likely to bring further Congressional scrutiny of ICE’s use-of-force policies as the administration expands immigration enforcement and recruitment.
The lawmakers’ intervention also raises questions about procurement oversight, testing requirements and whether officers would receive specialised instruction before being authorised to use the gloves.
(IANS)
