The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, has raised alarm over what he described as the “growing dehumanisation of migrants” in the United States.
Türk, in a statement, warned that current immigration enforcement practices are undermining due process, family unity and basic human dignity.
The UN’s top rights official said individuals suspected of being undocumented migrants are being surveilled, arrested and detained.
According to him, undocumented migrants are surveilled, arrested and detained, sometimes violently, in locations ranging from hospitals and places of worship to courthouses, schools, markets and private homes.
The UN rights chief said he was “astounded by the now-routine abuse and denigration of migrants and refugees.”
He warned that fear generated by such federal operations is rippling through communities, with children missing school and medical appointments, out of concern that their parents may not return.
“Those who dare to speak up or protest peacefully against heavy-handed immigration raids are vilified and threatened by officials, and on occasion subjected to arbitrary violence themselves,” Türk said.
He said numerous migration policies now being implemented by U.S. authorities are resulting in arbitrary and unlawful arrests and detentions, as well as flawed removal decisions.
He expressed concern that enforcement actions often lacked sufficient individualised assessments.
U.S. immigration enforcement is primarily carried out by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
ICE is a federal agency responsible for identifying, arresting, detaining and removing non-citizens deemed to be in violation of immigration law.
Türk stressed that while national governments have the authority to establish and enforce migration policies, those powers must be exercised in full accordance with the law.
Failure to respect due process, he said, risks eroding public trust, weakening institutional legitimacy and violating individuals’ rights.
He also deplored Washington’s use of large-scale enforcement operations, raising concerns that force has at times appeared unnecessary or disproportionate.
On January 7, 2026, a woman was fatally shot in Minnesota’s largest city, Minneapolis, during an operation involving federal officers.
“Under international law, the intentional use of lethal force is only permissible as a measure of last resort against an individual representing an imminent threat to life,” Türk said.
The UN rights chief highlighted the human cost of these practices, particularly for families.
Türk cited cases in which parents were detained or transferred between facilities without adequate information being provided about their whereabouts or access to legal counsel, making it difficult to maintain family contact or pursue legal remedies.
“I call on the administration to end practices that are tearing apart families,” the High Commissioner said.
He also called for independent and transparent investigations into a reported rise in the number of deaths in ICE custody, noting that at least, 30 deaths were reported in 2025, with six more so far in 2026.
