UN human rights chief condemns abuse in US immigration enforcement

Geneva: The UN human rights chief condemned in a statement the repeated use of “unnecessary or disproportionate force” in US immigration enforcement.

Volker Turk, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, expressed shock at “the now-routine abuse and denigration of migrants and refugees.”

He said many people arrested and detained lack timely access to legal counsel and effective means to contest their detention and removal decisions, Xinhua news agency reported.

Turk urged the United States to ensure that its migration policies and enforcement practices respect human dignity and due process rights.

He also called for an independent and transparent investigation into the rising number of deaths in US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody.

According to the statement, at least 30 such deaths were reported last year, and a further six have been reported so far this year.

On January 7, during a federal enforcement operation in Minneapolis, an ICE agent shot and killed a 37-year-old US citizen, sparking widespread tensions. A week later, another ICE agent shot a Venezuelan immigrant in the same area, further escalating protests.

Meanwhile, approximately 100 clergy members were arrested at the US Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport during a protest against US immigration enforcement, organizers said.

The faith leaders were taken into custody by local police after blocking roads at the airport’s Terminal 1 departures area, according to the group Faith in Minnesota. The protesters were calling on airlines, particularly Delta Air Lines and Signature Aviation, to stop cooperating with US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations in Minnesota, organizers stated.

At the airport, clergy members prayed together, sang hymns, and shared stories of people detained by ICE, organizers said. Faith in Minnesota reported that the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport has deported an estimated 2,000 people. Union members also reported that ICE has arrested 12 airport workers.

IANS