Muslim civil rights group urges DHS Inspector General, DOJ to investigate reported beatings, denial of food and water, prolonged shackling
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today called on federal authorities to investigate allegations that a Somali man was subjected to abuse while being deported aboard an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) flight.
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The man’s family says he was shackled for days during a multi-stop deportation flight, denied adequate food and water, witnessed officers physically assaulting other deportees, and arrived in Somalia with visible injuries. The family alleges he was forced to endure inhumane conditions throughout the journey. Reports indicate that the deportation flight lasted several days with multiple stops before arriving in Somalia.
In a statement, Washington, D.C., based CAIR said:
“If these deeply disturbing allegations of abuse on an ICE deportation flight are accurate, they represent a shocking misuse of governmental authority and a profound violation of basic human rights and human dignity. Every person, regardless of immigration status, is entitled to humane treatment while in government custody. Federal authorities must conduct a prompt, independent investigation, hold anyone responsible for misconduct accountable, and ensure that such alleged abuses never occur again.”
CAIR encourages anyone who has experienced or witnessed abuse while in immigration detention or during deportation proceedings to contact its Civil Rights Department at www.cair.com/report.
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CONTACT: CAIR National Deputy Director Edward Ahmed Mitchell, 404-285-9530, [email protected]; CAIR Government Affairs Director Robert McCaw, 202-742-6448, [email protected]; CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper, 202-744-7726, [email protected]; CAIR National Communications Manager Ismail Allison, 202-770-6280, [email protected]