UN Human Rights Chief Condemns U.S. Immigration Enforcement as Dehumanizing, Urges Probes Into ICE Deaths

Overview

• The UN official describes surveillance, arrests and detentions of suspected undocumented people in hospitals, places of worship, courthouses, schools, markets and private homes, at times with violence.
• He calls for independent, transparent investigations into deaths in ICE custody, citing at least 30 reported in 2025 and six more so far in 2026.
• He criticizes large-scale operations and says lethal force must be a last resort, pointing to a 7 January fatal shooting in Minneapolis during a federal operation.
• He says enforcement often proceeds without individualized assessment or timely access to counsel, weakening migrants’ ability to contest detention or removal.
• He urges an end to scapegoating narratives and family-separating practices, and warns that hasty, flawed deportations—including to countries with no connection—risk wrongful expulsions and refoulement.