Exclusive: Ice cancels deportation flight to Africa after claims of brutality

• Ice agents allegedly forced asylum seekers to agree to expulsion
• Flight was due to leave from Louisiana at 3pm on Wednesday

US immigration and customs enforcement (Ice) canceled a deportation flight to west Africa because of allegations of brutality by Ice agents in the treatment of the deportees, the agency has said in a statement.

The statement emailed to the Guardian and the cancellation of the deportation flight, so that would-be deportees can be interviewed as witnesses, marks a dramatic change in tone by the agency, which has hitherto deflected and denied earlier allegations of human rights abuses.