By Anjali Sharma
WASHINGTON – Indian American Congressman Shri Thanedar and other lawmakers on Sunday have urged the US President Donald Trump administration to immediately halt the Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s plan to procure electric shock gloves for its officers.
Shri Thanedar is the ranking member of the Congressional subcommittee on oversight, investigations and accountability.
Thanedar in his letter to Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin, cautioned that the use of electric shock gloves could be abused by ICE personnel and result in injury or death, media reported.
It was reported that ICE is planning to spend up to $20 million for the purchase of thousands of “conductive distraction and de-escalation devices” for officers and agents by March.
The Department of Homeland Security described it as a “de-escalation device,” the gloves are capable of delivering painful electric shocks.
“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,” Thanedar along with Bennie Thompson and Lou Correa said in a letter to Mullin.
Thompson is the ranking member of the Committee on Homeland Security.
Correa and Thanedar are ranking members of the congressional subcommittees on Border Security and Enforcement, and Oversight, Investigations and Accountability.
“Under Trump, ICE has hired unqualified officers and agents and rushed them through training programs with reduced use of force instruction. 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,” the lawmakers wrote.
They have urged Secretary Mullin to intervene and halt the procurement before it moves forward.
The US lawmakers have warned that the devices could be incorrectly used or abused by ICE personnel, resulting in injury or death.
ICE has been facing criticism over the use of aggressive tactics as it carries out Trump’s mass deportation campaign across the US.
