By FRED SHUSTER | City News Service
A civil rights group sued U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Thursday in Los Angeles, seeking the release of agency records concerning the use of the WRAP, a full-body restraint device used on individuals in immigration custody and during transportation and deportation operations.
Read more Here’s why it can take a long time to extinguish a lithium battery fire
Sometimes referred to as “the burrito” or “the bag,” the WRAP is frequently used on immigrants during deportation flights and for prolonged periods, according to the American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California.
“Individuals subjected to the device have reported difficulty breathing, chest pressure, loss of sensation and serious injuries, while medical and use-of-force experts have warned that prolonged or improper use of full-body restraints can create significant risks of positional asphyxia, circulatory distress and death,” the lawsuit filed in Los Angeles federal court states.
The ACLU alleges that reports suggest ICE personnel have used the WRAP as punishment for undocumented individuals who protested their deportations or sought to communicate with attorneys.
The reports “are particularly troubling given longstanding questions about the policies and safeguards” governing ICE’s use of the device, according to the complaint.
A message sent to ICE seeking comment was not immediately answered after regular business hours.
In November 2024, in its annual report to Congress, the Department of Homeland Security’s civil rights office opened a complaint alleging ICE “inappropriately” used the WRAP and did not use operate the device in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions, “which caused breathing difficulty and pain, failed to consider medical and psychological conditions prior to use and lacked sufficient monitoring,” according to the 21-page lawsuit.
Read more Lakers transition from ‘LeBron Era’ to a Luka Doncic-led squad
The ACLU also contends that ICE’s current Air Operations Handbook “provides little substantive guidance concerning when, how or under what safeguards the device may be deployed.”
The Freedom of Information Act request seeks ICE records to determine the extent and manner of the agency’s use of the WRAP, the policies and criteria governing its deployment and the agency’s oversight of its safety and compliance with legal requirements, according to the suit.
“The requested records are necessary to evaluate whether ICE’s practices comport with constitutional requirements, medically accepted standards and the agency’s own policies and obligations,” the ACLU stated.
When used during deportations, individuals were immobilized for extended periods in positions posing elevated risk of breathing impairment and circulatory distress, according to the lawsuit, which says medical experts have cautioned that prolonged immobilization in seated or bent-forward positions increases the danger of asphyxia, especially for people with respiratory or cardiac vulnerabilities.
“Individuals described an inability to breathe, chest pressure and loss of sensation while restrained,” the suit says.
The complaint cites an October 2025 article in which Associated Press identified a dozen fatal cases in the last decade “where local police or jailers around the U.S. used the WRAP and autopsies determined ‘restraint’ played a role in the death.”
Read more Man who was shot during 2024 Trump campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, has died