INHUMANE

Suit: Somalis Shackled for Days on U.S. Deportation Flight

American agents “kicked, struck, choked, and dragged detainees” during the voyage.

Nearly 100 Somalis were bound and shackled for days on a deportation airplane, a new class-action lawsuit claims. The 92 Somalis also allege that U.S. immigration agents “kicked, struck, choked, and dragged detainees” during the journey, and some were held in straitjackets. The voyage, which began on Dec. 7, only made it to Senegal before returning to the U.S. with all detainees still on board. “When the plane’s toilets overfilled with human waste, some of the detainees were left to urinate into bottles or on themselves,” the lawsuit states. “[Immigration and Customs Enforcement] agents wrapped some who protested, or just stood up to ask a question, in full-body restraints. ICE agents kicked, struck, or dragged detainees down the aisle of the plane, and subjected some to verbal abuse and threats.”