ICE shock gloves: US agency buys 6,000 pairs for $16.7 million

The US Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency (ICE) has signed a contract to buy 6,000 pairs of electric gloves for $16.7 million (about 365 million Czech crowns). According to a British newspaper, the deal was concluded in August, and the agency’s officials knew the results of military tests even before signing.

The tests took place in October 2024 at the Fort Leavenworth military prison in Kansas. Service members played the role of aggressive inmates and stopped resisting within seconds of the gloves being used. Some participants later reported fatigue and pain. In another case, in Kentucky, a man died; according to a lawsuit, he was repeatedly hit with an electric glove and a stun gun.

The gloves are called G.L.O.V.E. Unlike a stun gun, the shock does not immobilize the body but overloads the nerve endings in the skin and causes pain. For those whose skin was wet or oily, the sensations were even stronger; one participant said the discomfort lasted another 30 minutes.

ICE calls the gloves “a means of distracting and calming the situation” and claims they may be safer than other methods of force and reduce the need for potentially lethal force. Critics see them as yet another tool of intimidation and disproportionate use of force.

“The military assessment in ICE’s documents shows that the gloves can cause ‘intense pain’ and force people into compliance. But it does not prove that they are safe,” said American Oversight executive director Chioma Chukwu. She said it is alarming that the agency is preparing to deploy the device anyway.

The manufacturer is to deliver the gloves within six months. The company’s owner, Jeff Niklaus, declined an interview. White House adviser Tom Homan said it may take some time before the gloves are used in the field, as ICE is still resolving questions about training and rules for their use.

Around Prague, based on reporting by novinky.cz