Army study found ICE shock gloves cause pain, compliance and fear, AP reports
In short
A previously unreleased Army study found that shock gloves now purchased by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement caused intense pain, immediate compliance and fear of further shocks during a 2024 military exercise. Records obtained by the watchdog group American Oversight show ICE leaders knew of the findings before signing a $16.7 million contract in August for 6,000 pairs of the gloves. ICE calls the gloves “distraction and de-escalation devices”; critics say they give the agency another weapon to intimidate and brutalize people.
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A previously unreleased Army study found that electric shock gloves now purchased by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement worked so powerfully during a military exercise that participants felt intense pain, stopped fighting immediately and feared further shocks, according to reporting by The Associated Press carried by several outlets. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 ]
Records obtained by the watchdog group American Oversight and shared with the AP show that ICE leaders were aware of the study's findings before signing a $16.7 million contract in August to buy 6,000 pairs of the gloves. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 ]
The exercise took place in October 2024 at the military prison at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, with Army employees playing the role of combative prisoners. Several of the participants were large-statured men, and they stopped resisting seconds after officers applied shocks by touching the gloves to their skin, the study found. They were left with “fatigue, soreness and excessive apprehensiveness to being shocked again,” according to the study. “After experiencing the effects of the GLOVE, ... participants stated just seeing the GLOVE was enough to make them want to comply,” the authors wrote. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 ]
ICE has called the gloves “distraction and de-escalation devices” that will be safer than other non-lethal options for subduing targets of arrest and deportation and protesters who create civil disturbances. The agency has argued the rapid compliance the gloves produce will keep officers safer and prevent incidents from requiring potentially lethal force, according to the reports. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 ]
Critics have warned the gloves will give ICE another weapon to intimidate and brutalize people, at a time when the agency is under fire over excessive force that the coverage says has left a trail of deaths and injuries across the nation. They note the gloves are easy to discharge, do not leave a mark and have not been extensively used outside jails. The manufacturer warns they should not be used on high-risk populations such as children, pregnant women or disabled people, the reports say. [ 2 , 3 , 4 ]
Why it matters
The documents show a federal immigration enforcement agency bought a less-lethal device in volume after its own government's study documented strong pain and fear effects, which critics say could expand the force available to officers in arrests, detentions and protests. How the gloves are used in the field, and on whom, is likely to draw further scrutiny given the criticism of ICE's use of force described in the coverage.
Key facts
- A previously unreleased Army study found shock gloves caused intense pain, immediate compliance and fear of further shocks among participants in a military exercise. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 ]
- ICE leaders were aware of the study's findings before signing a $16.7 million contract in August to buy 6,000 pairs of shock gloves, according to records obtained by American Oversight and shared with The Associated Press. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 ]
- The exercise took place at the military prison at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, in October 2024, with Army employees playing combative prisoners. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 ]
- Participants, several of them large-statured men, stopped resisting seconds after shocks were applied by touching gloves to their skin. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 ]
- The study reported participants were left with “fatigue, soreness and excessive apprehensiveness to being shocked again.” [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 ]
- ICE has described the gloves as “distraction and de-escalation devices” that are safer than other non-lethal options and that produce rapid compliance, keeping officers safer. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 ]
- Critics say the gloves are easy to discharge, do not leave a mark and have not been extensively used outside jails, and the manufacturer warns against using them on high-risk populations such as children, pregnant women or disabled people. [ 2 , 3 , 4 ]
Confirmed by several sources
- A previously unreleased Army study documented intense pain, immediate compliance and fear of further shocks from the shock gloves during a military exercise. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 ]
- ICE leaders knew of the study's findings before signing a $16.7 million contract in August for 6,000 pairs of shock gloves, according to records obtained by American Oversight and shared with The Associated Press. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 ]
- The exercise took place at the military prison at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, in October 2024. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 ]
- ICE has called the gloves “distraction and de-escalation devices” and argues rapid compliance will keep officers safer and avoid the need for potentially lethal force. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 ]
Still unclear
- Whether ICE has begun using the shock gloves in the field, and when deployment would start. The documents describe the August purchase contract but do not say whether the gloves are already in use.
- The basis for critics' assertion that ICE excessive force “has left a trail of deaths and injuries across the nation.” The claim appears in the coverage without specific cases, figures or a named source.
- The manufacturer's identity and the full terms of its warning about high-risk populations. The warning is referenced in the coverage but the manufacturer is not named in the documents.