ICE Uses Full-Body Restraints on Deportees Amid Safety Concerns

The WRAP Restraint System

• ⛓️ The WRAP is a full-body restraint system used by law enforcement, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers, during deportations.
• 🎯 Its intended purpose is to stop a fight and eliminate strikes and blows, aiming for a reasonably comfortable situation for the detainee.

Concerns Over ICE's Use of the WRAP

• 🗣️ Approximately a dozen individuals have reported to the Associated Press that ICE officers used the WRAP on them or their loved ones for reasons such as crying or verbally objecting to deportation.
• ⚠️ An internal watchdog report from the Department of Homeland Security raised concerns, partly due to reports of deaths involving the use of the WRAP by police in the past decade.
• 💔 The AP identified a dozen fatal cases where the restraint played a role in the death.

ICE and WRAP Manufacturer Responses

• 📄 In response to an AP query, ICE stated that the use of restraints on detainees during deportation flights is a longstanding standard protocol essential for the safety of detainees and officers.
• 🛠️ The makers of the WRAP claim there have been no deaths when deployed properly and that modifications, including a metal loop for front handcuffing, have been made for ICE's use.
• ⏳ One individual, Antonio Pineda, reported being kept in the WRAP for over 16 hours during two round trips to the Mexican border before being deported.