From the halls of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva comes a blistering denouncement of abuses plaguing US immigration enforcement. Volker Türk, UN High Commissioner, affirmed that no policy should erode the human dignity or procedural rights of migrants and refugees.
Detainees routinely miss out on essential legal support and mechanisms to fight detention or deportation, Türk observed. He called on America to embed humanitarian principles into its border strategies.
The death count in ICE facilities is particularly harrowing: 30 last year, six already this year. Türk advocated for rigorous, transparent investigations to address accountability gaps.
Minneapolis serves as a stark example of enforcement gone awry. An ICE agent gunned down a 37-year-old US citizen on January 7 in a federal action. Soon after, a Venezuelan migrant met the same fate nearby, provoking intense backlash.
In response, about 100 faith leaders were detained at Minneapolis-St. Paul Airport after obstructing Terminal 1 access. Faith in Minnesota demanded airlines, including Delta and Signature Aviation, sever ties with ICE deportation efforts.
The event featured unified prayers, hymns, and facts on captives, noting roughly 2,000 removals via the airport. Activists highlighted ICE’s arrests of 12 personnel, questioning corporate involvement in human rights controversies.