Group of 11 Democratic senators has raised concerns about use of Wrap full-body restraints on US deportation flights
A “near-total secrecy” surrounding deportation flights and the use of full-body restraints onboard is raising “serious human rights concerns”, a group of 11 Democratic US senators wrote in a letter on Thursday to top immigration officials.
Senator Chris Van Hollen of Maryland called upon US Immigration and Customs Enforcement to provide a full accounting of its air operations and to stop using the black and yellow restraints known as the Wrap until the agency explains its policies for the device and resolves other questions about its use on immigration detainees.
“I think it’s very problematic,” Van Hollen told the Associated Press. “They want to keep the public in the dark.”
The senators’ letter cites an AP investigation this month that revealed several examples of ICE using the device on people – sometimes for hours – on deportation flights dating to 2020. Van Hollen was joined by Senators Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, Cory Booker of New Jersey, Alex Padilla of California, Tammy Duckworth of Illinois and six others.
