{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.lujan.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/lujan-colleagues-oppose-ice-rollout-of-electric-shock-gloves/", "Luj\u00e1n, Colleagues Oppose ICE Rollout of Electric Shock Gloves", "2026-08-28", "2026", "2026-08", "Democrat", "Senate", "NM", "Ben Ray Luj\u00e1n", "L000570", "www.lujan.senate.gov", "lujan", "https://www.lujan.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/?jsf=jet-engine:press-list", "scraper", "Santa Fe, N.M. \u2013 U.S. Senator Ben Ray Luj\u00e1n (D-N.M.) joined U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) and 14 Senate colleagues in calling 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 provide 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.\n\nOn August 10, 2026, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) published a notice concerning ICE\u2019s 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.\n\n\u201cWe 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,\u201d the Senators began. \u201c\u2026The 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\u2019s 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.\u201d\n\n\u201cThe proposed acquisition raises serious questions about necessity, proportionality, medical safety, training, accountability, and constitutional rights,\u201d the Senators continued. \u201cThose questions are particularly important given the significant public scrutiny surrounding ICE\u2019s 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 \u2013 even more so if it is deployed without clear limits, appropriate training, and comprehensive oversight.\u201d\n\n\u201cAt 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,\u201d the Senators wrote. \u201cIn 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.\u201d\n\n\u201cIf ICE proceeds with purchasing $20 million worth of electric-shock gloves, Congress needs a clear understanding of the device\u2019s safety and authorized uses,\u201d the Senators concluded.\n\nIn addition to Senators Luj\u00e1n and 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.), 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.).\n\nThe full text of the letter, including the demands from the Senators should ICE proceed with this plan, can be found HERE.\n\n###", 1, "2026-08-28T17:11:49Z", "2026-08-28T17:13:14Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.lujan.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/lujan-colleagues-oppose-ice-rollout-of-electric-shock-gloves/"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.7440720219165087, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}