Geneva. The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Turk, has called on the Trump administration to ensure that its migration policies uphold individual rights and adhere to international law, warning against arbitrary arrests and detentions.
In a statement, Turk highlighted that individuals are being monitored and detained, sometimes violently, in places ranging from hospitals, churches, mosques, courthouses, and markets to schools and even their own homes, often solely on suspicion of being undocumented migrants.
He raised concerns over US immigration enforcement operations, noting that some measures appear disproportionate and should only be used when an individual poses an immediate threat to life.
The deployment of around 3,000 heavily armed federal officers in Minneapolis, aimed at targeting criminal immigration violators, has at times also affected law-abiding citizens and immigrants.
The city remains tense following the shooting of Renee Good, a 37-year-old US citizen and mother of three, by an immigration officer on 7 January. Vice President JD Vance defended the federal operation, attributing the unrest to "far-left agitators" and uncooperative local officials.
Turk also urged that all individuals in custody be granted timely access to legal advice and called for an independent investigation into deaths in US Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody, citing 30 fatalities in 2025 and six so far this year.
He further condemned the routine portrayal of migrants and refugees as criminals or societal burdens, which he warned fuels xenophobic hostility and abuse.
