Immigration and Customs Enforcement has contracted to acquire 6,000 pairs of electric-shock gloves manufactured by Compliant Technologies following a military study conducted in October 2024 at Fort Leavenworth in Kansas. The gloves, branded as G.L.O.V.E. (Generated Low Output Voltage Emitter), were tested during an army exercise where participants role-played as combative prisoners. According to the study’s findings, the devices produced intense pain among participants and prompted immediate cessation of resistance, with some reporting lingering discomfort lasting up to 30 minutes after exposure.
ICE officials were aware of the military study’s results before signing the $16.7 million contract in August to purchase the devices. The agency describes the gloves as “distraction and de-escalation devices” that it contends will provide a safer alternative to other non-lethal options for controlling detainees and managing protesters. ICE has stated that the rapid compliance the gloves produce will enhance officer safety and reduce the likelihood of incidents requiring potentially lethal force.
Opposition to the procurement has emerged from multiple quarters. American Oversight, a watchdog group that obtained the military study through a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit, argues that the study itself demonstrates the gloves inflict intense pain without establishing safety. Democratic senators, led by Catherine Cortez Masto of Nevada, have called for ICE to either abandon the purchase or provide detailed explanations regarding deployment protocols and agent training. Critics have also referenced high-profile lawsuits involving the gloves’ use in local correctional facilities, including a case in Kentucky where a 43-year-old man died following multiple shocks from the devices in combination with a Taser.
The military study indicated the gloves increased operational efficiency in forced cell extractions and disturbance response by reducing encounter duration and physical exertion among officers. The devices function by overloading peripheral nerve endings to produce pain, rather than causing the muscular immobilization associated with Taser shocks. Tom Homan, the White House border czar, has indicated rollout will require time to address training and policy development. ICE has not responded to inquiries regarding the study or deployment timeline.
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