ICE eyes up to $20M purchase of electric shock gloves as New York threatens legal action

A federal procurement move worth up to $20 million is drawing legal warnings from New York's top officials. The Department of Homeland Security is advancing plans to buy thousands of devices designated G.L.O.V.E.s, short for Generated Low Output Voltage Emitters, for use by Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers. Gov. Kathy Hochul and Attorney General Letitia James said Wednesday that the equipment's deployment in New York could expose ICE officers to accountability under state law.

What the gloves do and who makes them

Compliant Technologies, based in Lexington, Kentucky, manufactures the G.L.O.V.E. devices. Federal procurement records describe them as "conductive distraction and de-escalation devices." They deliver an electrical charge through direct physical contact. Company demonstration videos show test subjects falling to the ground after contact with a person wearing the gloves.

DHS has not finalized the purchase. ICE defended its equipment evaluation process in a statement to Fox News Digital, saying the agency weighs officer safety and existing law enforcement standards when assessing new technology. "ICE is constantly assessing the needs of our officers in the field to ensure they have the tools and equipment necessary to safely arrest and remove criminal illegal aliens from our country," a DHS spokesperson wrote. The statement also noted that officers receive ongoing use-of-force training.

Compliant Technologies founder and CEO Jeff Niklaus declined to discuss the potential federal contract when contacted by the Associated Press, writing only that the company was "unable to speak on this subject."

New York's legal pushback

James said her office is reviewing the DHS proposal and examining whether deploying the technology would violate state law. The proposal "appears to be in violation of a number of laws," James said, citing the State Administrative Procedure Act. She confirmed her office would pursue legal action against DHS if a person in New York were injured by the devices. "You can best be assured of that," she said.

Hochul said ICE officers who trample constitutional rights or cause undue harm "will be held accountable" and that recently enacted state protections "should be in effect here."

What to watch

The G.L.O.V.E. procurement runs alongside a separate confrontation over local law enforcement cooperation. New York agencies have until Aug. 24 to end civil immigration enforcement agreements with ICE or face potential legal consequences from the state. James said a dozen agencies maintained such agreements as of July, Nassau County among them.