UN Human Rights Chief Warns about Trump’s Immigration Policies

The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights has warned that US President Donald Trump’s immigration policies could lead to mass detentions and “collective expulsions” of migrants, amounting to a “breach of international law.”

In an annual speech to the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva on Wednesday, Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein said better leadership was needed to tackle rising discrimination against ethnic and religious minorities in the US.

“Expedited deportations could amount to collective expulsions and refoulement, in breach of international law, if undertaken without due process guarantees, including individual assessment,” Zeid said, referring to the UN Refugee Convention, which prohibits the forcible return of people who are escaping persecution, violence and war.

 “Vilification of entire groups such as Mexicans and Muslims, and false claims that migrants commit more crimes than US citizens, are harmful and fuel xenophobic abuses,” he added.

The UN human rights chief also expressed concern about Trump’s new executive order announced Monday that bans the entry of people from six Muslim-majority countries for 90 days, after Trump’s initial executive order on immigration was blocked be US federal courts.

He said the deportations will have greater impact on children “who face being detained, or may see their families torn apart.”

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