Key facts
- Electric-shock gloves intended for ICE use caused 'intense pain' and immediate compliance in a military study.
- ICE signed a $16.7 million contract in August to purchase 6,000 pairs of the gloves.
- The gloves, called G.L.O.V.E., are designed to overload peripheral nerve endings to cause pain.
- Participants in a military exercise reported fatigue, soreness, and apprehension about further shocks.
- Critics argue the gloves are unsafe and could be used for intimidation, citing a death in a similar case.
- ICE states the gloves are 'distraction and de-escalation devices' intended to be safer than lethal force.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is moving forward with plans to acquire 6,000 pairs of electric-shock gloves, known as G.L.O.V.E., despite a previously unreleased army study indicating the devices inflict intense pain and can cause immediate compliance. ICE leaders were aware of these findings before signing a $16.7 million contract for the gloves in August.
The military exercise, conducted in October 2024 at the military prison at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, involved participants role-playing as combative prisoners. The study found that even large-statured men stopped resisting within seconds of being touched by the gloves, reporting "fatigue, soreness and excessive apprehensiveness to being shocked again." The study authors noted that "just seeing the GLOVE was enough to make them want to comply."
The gloves, manufactured by Compliant Technologies, are designed to work by overloading peripheral nerve endings to cause pain, rather than freezing the body like a Taser. Participants reported more powerful shocks when wet or with oil on their skin, with one experiencing discomfort for 30 minutes afterward.
Critics, including American Oversight, have voiced alarm, stating the military assessment shows the gloves cause "intense pain" but does not establish their safety. They warn the devices could be used to intimidate and brutalize individuals, pointing to a case in Kentucky where a man allegedly died after being shocked multiple times with similar devices.
ICE, however, has described the gloves as "distraction and de-escalation devices" that are safer than other non-lethal options, arguing their rapid compliance effect will keep officers safer and prevent the need for potentially lethal force. The agency released the study and other documents to American Oversight as part of a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit.
Senator Catherine Cortez Masto and 15 other Democratic senators have written to ICE requesting the agency abandon its plan or provide details on how the gloves will be used and managed to prevent abuse. As of Tuesday, ICE had not addressed questions about the study or the rollout status, but stated its officers are highly trained in de-escalation tactics.