US Immigration and Customs Enforcement plans to equip some officers with gloves capable of delivering electric shocks, under a proposed purchase worth up to $20m (£14.8m). The move is significant because it would reportedly be the largest order yet for the device and comes amid scrutiny of ICE’s use of force during immigration enforcement operations.

The gloves can deliver up to 380 volts and 30 pulses a second when activated by a button, while recording use through built-in microprocessors. They are intended for officers in Homeland Security Investigations and Enforcement Removal Operations; the manufacturer says they do not cause injury, but its manual warns against use on vulnerable people and recommends training, recertification and another officer being present. Civil rights groups, including the ACLU, have criticised the plan, citing recent deaths during immigration enforcement activity.