New York Governor Kathy Hochul and Attorney General Letitia James have sharply criticized a federal plan to equip U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers with gloves capable of delivering painful electric shocks, escalating an already intense dispute between New York officials and the federal government over immigration enforcement.
The Department of Homeland Security is considering spending between $10 million and $20 million to purchase thousands of devices known as the G.L.O.V.E. — Generated Low Output Voltage Emitter. The equipment resembles ordinary patrol gloves but can be activated to deliver an electrical shock through direct contact with a person’s skin. Federal officials describe the technology as a tool for gaining compliance and de-escalating confrontations.
Hochul questioned both the necessity and potential legality of deploying the devices during immigration operations. Speaking alongside Attorney General James and New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, the governor argued that intentionally inflicting such physical pain could raise serious civil-rights concerns.
James said her office is reviewing the federal proposal and examining its legality. She suggested the procurement could face constitutional and other legal challenges, while critics have also raised concerns about how the devices might be used against vulnerable people during arrests.
The Department of Homeland Security has defended efforts to provide ICE personnel with additional equipment, saying the agency continually evaluates what officers need to safely carry out arrests and removals. The controversy nevertheless adds another point of confrontation between the Trump administration and New York’s Democratic leadership over federal immigration enforcement.
At the same event, Hochul announced $7.25 million in New York State funding to provide legal services to approximately 1,400 unaccompanied immigrant children and young people facing active removal proceedings. More than 250 of those children are currently detained, according to the governor’s office.
The money will be distributed through the New York State Office for New Americans to a coalition of legal-service organizations led by the Hispanic Federation. State officials said the funding is intended to fill a gap created after a federal contract supporting legal representation for unaccompanied migrant children expired on July 31.
Hochul said children should not be forced to navigate the immigration system without legal assistance, presenting the funding as part of New York’s broader effort to protect immigrant communities.
The twin announcements highlight the widening divide between Albany and Washington over immigration policy: while federal authorities seek additional enforcement tools for ICE agents, New York officials are expanding legal support for migrant children and examining possible challenges to federal enforcement practices.
