United Nations human rights experts on Tuesday sharply criticized the United States’ renewed practice of deporting migrants to third countries, including conflict-ridden South Sudan.
They emphasized Washington’s binding international obligation to ensure individuals are not sent into harm’s way, particularly where torture or grave human rights violations are likely.
The independent experts, appointed by the UN Human Rights Council, voiced alarm following a recent US Supreme Court ruling.
This decision permits the Trump administration to proceed with deportations of foreign nationals to countries other than their own, often without prior notice or a full immigration court hearing.
This expedited process raises significant due process concerns.
“International law unequivocally prohibits sending anyone to a place where substantial grounds exist to believe they would face torture, enforced disappearance, or arbitrary deprivation of life,” stated 11 UN rights experts in a joint declaration.
This principle of non-refoulement is a cornerstone of international human rights law.
Last Saturday, a group of eight migrants deported from the US arrived in South Sudan after weeks stranded in Djibouti.
Only one deportee originated from South Sudan, underscoring the administration’s policy of transferring unwanted migrants to third nations when home countries decline readmission, despite the severe human rights situation in places like South Sudan, marked by extrajudicial killings and sexual violence.
The experts, including UN special rapporteurs on torture and migrant rights, insisted that individuals must have an opportunity to legally object to their removal.
They highlighted the US’s adherence to international agreements, including the Convention Against Torture, which prohibits transferring individuals to places where torture is “more likely than not.”
Calling for immediate action, the experts urged Washington to halt further removals to third countries.
They also demanded effective access to legal assistance for deportees.
Furthermore, all deportation procedures must be subject to rigorous, independent judicial oversight.