ICE signs deal for 6,000 electric-shock gloves — The Guardian
In the United States, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) signed a $16.7 million contract to purchase 6,000 pairs of G.L.O.V.E. electric-shock gloves. Before the deal was signed, agency leadership was informed of the results of a military study in which participants reported intense pain, fatigue, soreness and excessive fear of being shocked again, The Guardian reports.
Testing in a military prison
The study was conducted in October 2024 at the Fort Leavenworth military prison in Kansas. U.S. Army personnel played the roles of prisoners who were actively resisting. According to the study, participants stopped resisting within seconds after staff touched their skin with the gloves.
Participants, including physically large men, said that after the test, the mere sight of the glove was enough to make them want to comply with orders. The study’s authors also noted that people with wet or oil-covered skin experienced a stronger effect. One participant reported discomfort that lasted for 30 minutes after the device was used.
ICE's position and criticism
The gloves are manufactured by Compliant Technologies of Lexington, Kentucky. The name G.L.O.V.E. stands for Generated Low Output Voltage Emitter. The military study assessed whether such gloves could be effective for forcibly removing prisoners from cells, responding to disturbances and escorting non-compliant individuals.
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The report says that using the gloves reduced the duration of physical confrontations, lessened guards’ exhaustion and helped avoid injuries. At the same time, while escorting prisoners, the device did not significantly change the time needed to establish control, but reduced the physical effort required.
ICE calls the gloves a distraction and de-escalation tool and says they may be a safer alternative to other non-lethal restraint methods. The agency also said its personnel receive de-escalation training. White House border coordinator Tom Homan said it could take some time before the devices are actually deployed, as ICE is still working out rules for their use and staff training.
Chiamá Chukwu, executive director of the watchdog organization American Oversight, said the military assessment contained in ICE documents confirms the gloves’ ability to inflict intense pain and compel compliance, but does not prove their safety. ICE provided the study and other documents to the organization as part of a lawsuit seeking access to information on the use of force.
Nevada Senator Catherine Cortez Masto said ICE did not respond to a letter dated August 27 in which she and 15 other Democratic senators urged the agency to abandon the purchase or explain the rules for using the gloves and measures to prevent abuse.
