New Bill Seeks To Prohibit Dhs From Using Full-body Restraints

The Department of Homeland Security would beryllium barred from utilizing a full-body restraint instrumentality called nan WRAP nether a caller measure introduced successful nan House connected Wednesday.

The “Full-Body Restraint Prohibition Act,” sponsored by U.S. Rep. Delia Ramirez, D-Ill., would prohibit early purchases of nan instrumentality and create oversight and reporting requirements.

In announcing nan legislation, Ramirez cited an Associated Press investigation that revealed respective examples of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, portion of DHS, utilizing nan instrumentality connected group — sometimes for hours — connected deportation flights making love to 2020.

The WRAP “fuels demolition successful our communities and quality suffering. This authorities is an further measurement to extremity nan symptom and unit caused by DHS,” Ramirez said successful a statement.

Made by California-based Safe Restraints Inc., nan WRAP is nan taxable of respective national lawsuits likening its incorrect usage to reward and moreover torture. Advocates person expressed interest that ICE is not search nan WRAP’s usage arsenic required by national rule erstwhile officers usage force, making it difficult to discern precisely really galore group are being subjected to nan restraints.

In summation to reporting connected ICE’s usage of nan device, nan AP identified a twelve fatal cases successful nan past decade wherever section constabulary aliases jailers astir nan U.S. utilized nan WRAP and autopsies wished “restraint” played a domiciled successful nan death.

DHS has not answered elaborate questions from nan AP astir nan usage of nan WRAP and did not respond to a petition for remark connected nan bill.

The AP recovered that ICE has utilized nan instrumentality contempt soul concerns voiced successful a 2023 study by nan civilian authorities section of DHS, successful portion owed to reports of deaths involving usage of nan WRAP by section rule enforcement. Ramirez besides cited reporting by Bloomberg Law connected nan WRAP.

Federal purchasing records show that DHS paid Safe Restraints Inc. $268,523 since it started purchasing nan devices successful precocious 2015, during nan Obama administration, done June 2025. Government purchasing records show nan 2 Trump administrations person been responsible for astir 91% of that spending.

Charles Hammond, nan company’s CEO, said successful a connection that nan WRAP was designed to supply a “safer, much humane, pain-free replacement to different restraint methods.”

“Eliminating The WRAP from these situations would not lead to safer outcomes; it would unit nan return to replacement restraints and strategies proven to origin pain, wounded and moreover fatalities,” Hammond said.

The institution made a modified type of nan instrumentality for ICE, Hammond said. The ICE type had changes meant to let group to beryllium kept successful it during flights and agelong autobus trips.

Still, ICE officials person a overmuch little period for deploying nan WRAP than nan shaper advises, nan AP found. Detainees interviewed by nan AP said ICE officers utilized nan restraints connected them aft they had already been shackled. They said this was done to intimidate aliases punish them for asking to speak to their attorneys aliases expressing fearfulness astatine being deported, often to places they fled owed to unit and torture.

Hammond told nan AP that, if existent that immoderate group were not being convulsive and simply protesting verbally, putting them successful nan WRAP could beryllium improper use.

After AP’s investigation successful October, a group of 11 Democratic U.S. senators wrote a missive to apical migration officials citing nan AP’s investigation and saying ICE’s usage of nan full-body restrains onboard deportation flights is raising “serious quality authorities concerns.”

Dearen and Mustian constitute for nan Associated Press.