- The ACLU of Southern California sued ICE for records about its use of the WRAP restraint in immigration custody and deportation flights.
- The lawsuit seeks use and oversight records, including frequency, policies, safety monitoring, and compliance information.
- A 2025 report identified 12 fatal cases in the past decade in which the restraint played a role in deaths.
The ACLU of Southern California sued U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Los Angeles federal court on Thursday, seeking agency records about a full-body restraint used in immigration custody and deportation flights. The Freedom of Information Act case seeks documents on the device, known as the WRAP.
The restraint is sometimes called “the burrito” or “the bag.” The group alleges ICE has used it to punish immigrants who protested deportation or tried to reach lawyers. It says people have sometimes remained restrained for extended periods.
The complaint describes reports of breathing difficulty, chest pressure, loss of sensation and serious injuries. Medical experts warn that prolonged immobilization can cause positional asphyxia and circulatory distress. Those risks can be fatal.
An October 2025 report identified 12 fatal cases in the last decade in which the restraint played a role in deaths. The cases add a separate safety concern to the allegations in the lawsuit.
The lawsuit seeks records on frequency, policy and oversight
The filing asks ICE for records showing how often it uses the restraint, which policies govern its use and how the agency monitors safety and legal compliance. The request covers both the rules ICE applies and its oversight of their use.
The group says access to those materials would allow it to assess whether ICE complies with constitutional requirements, medically accepted standards and the agency’s own policies and obligations. That is the stated purpose of the request.
The complaint also points to the agency’s Air Operations Handbook. The group says it offers little substantive guidance about when officers can deploy the restraint, how they should use it or what safeguards should apply.
Those are questions the lawsuit places before the agency through its records demand. The request seeks information about use and oversight, not just the wording of written policies. The group says the records are needed to evaluate ICE’s practices against law, medical standards and agency rules.
A 2024 civil-rights report alleged misuse and weak monitoring
The lawsuit cites a November 2024 report from the Department of Homeland Security’s civil-rights office. The report alleged ICE used the restraint inappropriately and outside the manufacturer’s instructions.
It also alleged that ICE failed to consider medical and psychological conditions before applying the device and did not monitor people adequately. The report linked the alleged misuse to breathing difficulty and pain.
The findings described more than one concern. They addressed decisions made before the restraint was applied, as well as monitoring while people were restrained. The ACLU’s complaint places those earlier allegations alongside its request for agency records.
The records request also seeks the policies governing the device and information on how ICE checks compliance. The complaint’s cited report concerns the agency’s handling of medical conditions and monitoring; the suit seeks records that could show how ICE’s practices are organized and overseen.
ICE says it reserves the restraint for certain flight cases
An ICE spokesperson said the device is used on flights for “combative or potentially self-harming detainees.” The spokesperson also said it is used “only on our planes and not on commercial flights.”
The Trump administration rejected the lawsuit on Friday, calling it “another false allegation.” The filing seeks ICE’s records on how the restraint is used and monitored.
