CNN Security Analyst and Anchor Alarmed Over ‘Real Danger’ of ICE’s New $20M ‘Electric Shock Gloves’

CNN’s Juliette Kayyem and Sara Sidner raised concerns over the potential consequences to ICE dropping $10-20 million on electric shock gloves for agents.

Kayyem, a CNN senior national security analyst and former assistant secretary at the Department of Homeland Security, joined Sidner on Wednesday morning to react to the news that ICE will now be deploying gloves that can shock detainees.

The devices, known as CTG 5 G.L.O.V.E. (standing for Generated Low Output Voltage Emitter), and their acquisition were revealed in a recent ICE notice.

Kayyem noted such technology is mainly used in prison systems where movement is limited and situations need to be de-escalated quickly.

They do not spark enough voltage to cause injury, but typically force compliance within a few seconds, according to the company behind the gloves.

She also raised alarm about reports of an arrest quota for ICE — something officials have denied. Massive quotas combined with general confusion about ICE’s accepted rules of engagement, she argued, will present “intense trouble” for the American public dealing with agents.

Kayyem said:

They’re not supposed to do it for longer than 15 seconds, oo this may be helpful. And I will say that the devices have mostly been used, at least from the public record — the company is not speaking now — at least from the public record in confined situations, a jail. That may make sense because there’s really no freedom of movement. Go forward to ICE and where we are now, this is asking for intense trouble for the American public. ICE is not known for deescalation. The rules of engagement for ICE are not understood. And with this mandate from the White House of 2,000 arrests a day, you now have sort of issued ICE to sort of go around, touch people and zap them and say that they’re not compliant. We know ICE, I’m going to be direct here, we know ice lies. They’ve been shown to lie. And so this could be a real danger for the American public.

“They have been shown to lie in court. Judges have made that very plain and clear,” Sidner agreed.

Former DHS Secretary Kristi Noem famously received major backlash earlier this year after she claimed Alex Pretti, who was shot and killed by federal immigration agents, was “brandishing” a gun during the encounter, something that was quickly disproven by video. Pretti and fellow American citizen Renee Good were both shot and killed by federal agents during immigration operations in Minneapolis.

Sidner added, “When you consider the idea that there is a quota, most departments have gotten rid of these, right? I mean, this was a whole big thing with law enforcement many, many decades ago. And now that it’s back for ICE and ICE only. Generally speaking, what does this do to law enforcement agents when they have this thing sitting over their head that, oh, we need to get 2000 per day?”

Kayyem argued the biggest reform for ICE would be dropping all arrest quota mandates.

She said:

The White House promised that they would go after the worst of the worst. That is so clearly not true anymore. If you ask me, what is the one thing that needs to be done to reform ICE, to make it an effective and lawful law enforcement agency that has a mandate that is legitimate? It would be this quota. This quota is a political quota. It is not an operational quota… that means that these guys and women who have been onboarded with less training, support, less rules. Fewer rules of engagement are now deployed to satisfy a number so giving them a new tool is dangerous with this mandate.

Watch above via CNN.

New: The Mediaite One-Sheet "Newsletter of Newsletters"
Your daily summary and analysis of what the many, many media newsletters are saying and reporting. Subscribe now!