US Crackdown On Illegal Migrants Threatens Basic Human Rights - OHCHR

US measures aimed at combating illegal migration from Latin America risk undermining international human rights and refugee law, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Tuerk said on Wednesday

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 11th January, 2023) US measures aimed at combating illegal migration from Latin America risk undermining international human rights and refugee law, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Tuerk said on Wednesday.

Last week, US president Joe Biden announced his intention to send additional forces to the US's southern border and ordered the expansion of expedited deportation of illegal migrants. At the same time, he suggested legally admitting 30,000 immigrants from Nicaragua, Cuba and Haiti into the country each month.

"The right to seek asylum is a human right, no matter a person's origin, immigration status, nor how they arrived at an international border ... These measures appear to be at variance with the prohibition of collective expulsion and the principle of non-refoulement," Tuerk said in a statement.

The UN high commissioner also expressed concern that those in dire need of asylum were unlikely to meet the restrictive requirements for humanitarian parole, which allows entry into the United States.

In this regard, Tuerk reiterated his call for the respect and protection of the human rights of all refugees and migrants at international borders.

The US has seen two consecutive record breaking years of illegal crossings into its territory since Biden assumed office in January 2021. Over 2,000,000 illegal crossings into the US were recorded in fiscal year 2022, according to US Customs and Border Protection.