UN Rights Chief Warns U.S. Migration Crackdowns Are Eroding Human Dignity and Rule of Law

“Children are missing school and pediatric appointments for fear of never seeing their parents again,” Türk said, describing the climate of fear gripping migrant communities.

The United Nations’ top human rights official has issued a sharp rebuke of current U.S. migration policies, warning that aggressive enforcement practices are undermining due process, tearing families apart, and fuelling dangerous dehumanisation of migrants and refugees.

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk said on Friday that migrants across the United States are being surveilled, arrested and detained in places traditionally considered safe, including hospitals, schools, places of worship, courthouses and even their own homes—often based on little more than suspicion of irregular status.

“Children are missing school and pediatric appointments for fear of never seeing their parents again,” Türk said, describing the climate of fear gripping migrant communities.

“Now-routine abuse and denigration”

Türk condemned what he described as the normalisation of abuse and vilification of migrants and refugees, noting that individuals who protest or speak out against immigration raids are increasingly threatened, smeared, or subjected to violence themselves.

“I am astounded by the now-routine abuse and denigration of migrants and refugees,” he said. “Where is the concern for their dignity, and our common humanity?”

According to the High Commissioner, multiple U.S. migration policies currently being implemented have resulted in arbitrary and unlawful arrests and detentions, flawed deportation decisions, and enforcement actions carried out without adequate individual assessments.

While acknowledging the right of States to set migration policies, Türk stressed that legality and legitimacy depend on due process.

“If these principles are not followed, it will erode public trust, weaken institutional legitimacy, and violate individuals’ rights,” he warned.

Dehumanising narratives under fire

Türk expressed deep concern over political rhetoric that portrays migrants and refugees as criminals, threats or burdens—language he said contradicts both human rights norms and American history.

“The United States has been shaped profoundly by migrants from all parts of the world,” he said. “Demonising people based on origin, nationality or migration status is inhuman, wrong, and goes against the very foundations of the nation.”

He called on leaders at all levels of government to halt scapegoating tactics that inflame xenophobia and expose migrants to hostility and abuse.

Use of force and deaths in custody

The High Commissioner also criticised large-scale immigration enforcement operations, saying agents have repeatedly used force that appears unnecessary or disproportionate.

“Under international law, lethal force is only permissible as a last resort against an imminent threat to life,” Türk said.

He urged an independent and transparent investigation into the growing number of deaths in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody. At least 30 deaths were reported last year, with six more already recorded this year, raising serious accountability concerns.

Families torn apart, safeguards failing

Türk highlighted systemic failures to protect family unity, noting that parents are often transferred between detention facilities without notice, cutting them off from their children, lawyers and support networks. Children, he warned, face severe and long-term harm as a result.

“I call on the Administration to end practices that are tearing apart families,” he said.

He also raised alarm over hasty deportations, including cases where individuals were sent to countries with which they have no connection, without properly assessing risks of torture or irreparable harm. Acknowledged errors—where people were wrongfully expelled—underscore the need for stronger safeguards, he added.

A clear legal obligation

Türk concluded by reaffirming that the United States is bound by international human rights and refugee law, including protections against arbitrary detention, discrimination, family separation and refoulement.

“Migration enforcement must always respect due process, human dignity and the rule of law,” he said.