GENEVA, Switzerland: The United Nations human rights chief on Friday urged the US authorities to respect individual rights and international law amid the ongoing immigration crackdown.
“Individuals are being surveilled and detained, sometimes violently, including at hospitals, churches, mosques, courthouses, markets, schools, and even within their own homes, often solely on mere suspicion of being undocumented migrants,” the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Turk, said in a statement.
The Trump administration has sent thousands of heavily armed federal immigration agents into Minneapolis as part of its expanded enforcement efforts, rounding up individuals it says are dangerous immigration violators.
#USA: We decry the dehumanizing portrayal & harmful treatment of migrants & refugees, & call for migration policies & enforcement practices that respect human dignity & uphold due process rights.
While states have the authority to determine their national migration policies,… pic.twitter.com/BZj4SNYcAT
— UN Human Rights (@UNHumanRights) January 23, 2026
Tensions spiked after a federal immigration officer shot and killed Renée Good, a 37‑year‑old US citizen and mother of three, on January 7 during an encounter that has become a flashpoint in the dispute.
Vice President J.D. Vance defended the federal actions on Thursday, asserting that “far‑left agitators” and uncooperative city and state officials were partly responsible for unrest on the streets and arguing that local resistance to federal enforcement contributed to the challenging conditions faced by agents.
Human rights advocates, including the United Nations human rights chief, have criticized parts of the crackdown as excessive, emphasising that force should only be used when there is an immediate threat to life.
Turk stressed that the United States must uphold international law and ensure that immigration enforcement respects due process. He expressed concern that some individuals who were arrested or detained had not been given timely access to legal counsel.
“I am astounded by the now-routine abuse and denigration of migrants and refugees,” he said in a statement, asking: “Where is the concern for their dignity, and our common humanity?”
“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,” Turk stressed.
He also called for an independent investigation into the growing number of deaths in US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody, noting that 30 deaths were reported in 2025 and six have already been recorded this year.
