KEY POINTS
• Independent UN human rights experts say US transfers of migrants and asylum seekers to third countries expose them to serious human rights risks.
• At least 23,000 people have reportedly been transferred to 29 countries and territories, with arrangements now covering 35.
• The experts say vulnerable groups face heightened risks, while President Donald Trump has defended the US border policy.
MAIN STORY
Independent United Nations human rights experts have raised concerns over the United States’ policy of transferring migrants and asylum seekers to third countries, warning that the arrangements could expose them to torture, persecution and enforced disappearance.
The experts said at least 23,000 people had already been sent to 29 countries and territories, while agreements had expanded to cover 35 countries.
According to them, the scale of the transfers means the potential human rights consequences are no longer theoretical, particularly for people moved to countries where they have no existing ties.
The experts said some of the receiving countries were themselves dealing with conflict, displacement and poverty, limiting their ability to provide adequate protection for newly arrived migrants.
They identified children, women, people with disabilities, trafficking victims and LGBT people among those facing particularly serious risks.
“The harms caused by this U.S. Government scheme are no longer hypothetical,” the experts said.
“The arrangements are triggering a cascade of human rights violations,” they stressed.
The experts also questioned whether migrants could genuinely be considered to have chosen to return to their countries when they were being held in detention, lacked money and had no access to legal advice.
They said governments could not avoid their international human rights responsibilities by transferring migrants to other countries.
“States cannot contract out of their international legal obligations,” they said, calling on governments involved in the arrangements to halt them immediately.
“Human rights must be at the centre of migration governance, not sacrificed in the pursuit of deterrence.”
The independent experts are appointed by the UN Human Rights Council and serve in an independent capacity without receiving salaries for their work.
The criticism comes against the backdrop of the Trump administration’s tougher approach to border control.
US President Donald Trump, addressing world leaders at the General Debate of the 81st UN General Assembly on September 23, said the United States now had the most secure border in its history.
Trump said the border had previously been among the world’s most dangerous, but that his administration had significantly changed the situation.
“Two years ago, our country was dead, and now we have the hottest country anywhere in the world.
“Nobody comes in unless they’re invited. Unless they have permission.
“In the past 16 months, zero illegal aliens have been admitted to the United States.
“And that’s done by some very sophisticated people. It’s not done by the Trump administration,’’ he said.
THE ISSUES
- The UN experts’ concerns centre on whether migrants transferred to third countries can access adequate protection and legal safeguards, particularly when they are sent to countries with conflict, poverty or displacement challenges.
- Vulnerable migrants face additional risks under the arrangements, with the experts specifically identifying children, women, people with disabilities, trafficking victims and LGBT people.
- The dispute also highlights competing approaches to migration policy. The UN experts are focused on human rights obligations and protection, while Trump has presented tighter border control as a major achievement of his administration.
WHAT’S BEING SAID
“The harms caused by this U.S. Government scheme are no longer hypothetical.” – Independent UN human rights experts
“States cannot contract out of their international legal obligations.” – Independent UN human rights experts
“Human rights must be at the centre of migration governance, not sacrificed in the pursuit of deterrence.” – Independent UN human rights experts
WHAT’S NEXT
The UN experts called on all governments involved in the third country arrangements to halt them immediately and ensure that human rights protections remain central to migration governance.
BOTTOM LINE
UN human rights experts say third country transfers are exposing migrants and asylum seekers to serious risks and inadequate safeguards. Trump, meanwhile, has defended his administration’s border policy as producing unprecedented levels of border security.
