A previously unreleased US Army study has raised concerns over shock gloves that US immigration authorities are preparing to use on detainees and protesters, finding that the devices caused intense pain and prompted participants to quickly stop resisting.
The study, conducted during a military exercise at the US Disciplinary Barracks at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, in October 2024, assessed whether the gloves could help officers control combative prisoners.
Records obtained by watchdog group American Oversight and shared with The Associated Press show that Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials were aware of the study’s findings before the agency signed a $16.7m contract in August to acquire 6,000 pairs of the gloves.
During the exercise, Army employees acted as prisoners and participated in scenarios involving physical resistance. Several of the participants were large-statured men.
According to the study, participants stopped resisting within seconds after officers touched the gloves to their skin. Those who experienced the shocks subsequently reported: “fatigue, soreness and excessive apprehensiveness to being shocked again.”
“After experiencing the effects of the GLOVE, … participants stated just seeing the GLOVE was enough to make them want to comply,” the study’s authors wrote.
ICE has described the devices as “distraction and de-escalation devices”, arguing that they provide officers with an alternative to other non-lethal methods when arresting or deporting people or dealing with civil disturbances.
The agency has maintained that the devices could help officers gain compliance quickly, potentially reducing the likelihood that confrontations escalate to situations involving lethal force.
However, critics have questioned whether the gloves are safe and appropriate for use outside controlled environments such as military or prison settings.
They argue that the devices could provide ICE agents with another means of intimidating or using force against detainees and protesters. Concerns have also been raised because the gloves can be activated easily and may leave no visible marks on people subjected to the shocks.
The manufacturer has warned against using the gloves on certain high-risk groups, including children, pregnant women and people with disabilities.
“The military assessment in ICE’s own files shows that these gloves can cause ‘intense pain’ and force compliance. It does not establish that they are safe,” said Chioma Chukwu, executive director of American Oversight.
“Everyone should be alarmed that ICE is preparing to deploy a tool designed to inflict, at best, intense pain, without showing that it is safe for the people who will be subjected to it.”
American Oversight obtained the study and other records from ICE through a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit seeking documents concerning the agency’s use of force.
The Army assessment examined several situations, including forced removal of resistant prisoners from cells, disturbances in common areas and the transportation of inmates who refused to cooperate.
Participants took part in scenarios both with and without the gloves. Some exercises involved simulated violent encounters in which the role-playing prisoners were instructed to resist as strongly as possible.
The study concluded that the gloves improved the effectiveness of teams conducting forced cell extractions and responding to disturbances. According to the findings, the devices shortened physical encounters, reduced exhaustion among guards and helped prevent injuries.
The gloves did not significantly reduce the time required to control prisoners during escort situations, although the study found that they required less physical effort from officers.
“GLOVE provides a boost in confidence to smaller or less trained members,” the study said.
It also reported that “Inmate compliance was immediate” when the gloves were used compared with other methods.
Unlike a Taser, the device does not cause the body to freeze through an electrical shock. Instead, the study said it works “by overloading the peripheral nerve endings” in the skin, producing pain.
The intensity of the sensation appeared to increase under certain conditions. Participants whose skin was wet or covered with oil reported stronger shocks, while one participant experienced discomfort for 30 minutes afterwards.
ICE’s contract with Compliant Technologies LLC requires the company to supply the 6,000 pairs within six months.
The company’s owner, Jeff Niklaus, declined an interview, saying he was unavailable because of a heavy workload.
White House border czar Tom Homan has previously said the gloves may not be deployed immediately because ICE is still working through training and policy requirements.
In a statement released Tuesday, ICE did not directly address questions about the Army study or the rollout of the devices but said its officers “are highly trained in de-escalation tactics.”
Meanwhile, concerns over the planned deployment have also reached Congress.
US Senator Catherine Cortez Masto of Nevada said ICE had yet to respond to an August 27 letter signed by her and 15 other Democratic senators. The lawmakers called on the agency to abandon the purchase or provide details about how the devices would be used, regulated and monitored to prevent abuse.
Cortez Masto said she was still seeking answers from the agency.
“Without ICE’s responses to legitimate questions from 16 United States Senators, the American public is being left in the dark about how these electric shock gloves are being deployed and what, if any, training the agents who use them have received,” she said.
