GENEVA (AFP) - The United Nations expressed deep concern on Tuesday (September 21) over the mass deportations of Haitian migrants from the United States, warning that they could go against international law.
The White House has faced a torrent of criticism after the United States began sending planes full of Haitian citizens back to their crisis-ravaged country over the weekend.
The crisis escalated after images by AFP photographer Paul Ratje surfaced and quickly spread on social media. horsemen swinging their reins to threaten migrants and push them towards the Rio Grande.
The director of the UN refugee agency UNHCR, Filippo Grandi, said he was "shocked by images of the deplorable conditions under the concrete highway overpass in Del Rio, Texas, where more than 14,000 Haitians had been reunited after arduous travels. "
He also lashed out at the US government's Title 42 policy, which was adopted by the previous Donald Trump administration to stop most arrivals at the southern border on the grounds that migrants could spread Covid-19. .
"The summary, the mass expulsions of people currently underway under Title 42 authority, without detection of protection needs, is inconsistent with international standards and may constitute refoulement," Grandi said in a statement.
"Refoulement", that is, returning asylum seekers to places where they risk persecution and death threats, is illegal under international law. Hours earlier, UN refugee and human rights agencies rallied to criticize the deportations.
"We are seriously concerned by the fact that there appears to have been no individual evaluation of the (Haiti) cases," human rights office spokeswoman Marta Hurtado told reporters in Geneva.
This, he said, indicated that "perhaps some of these people have not received the protection they needed." UNHCR spokesperson Shabia Mantoo stressed that seeking asylum is "a fundamental human right."
"We ask that this right be respected." Washington had temporarily suspended the deportation of Haitian migrants after a devastating earthquake struck the Caribbean nation last month.
But those deportations have resumed, with pressure for swift action after more than 15,000 Haitians crossed into the United States in recent days from Mexico and found themselves. stranded for days in Texas under a bridge that spans the Rio Grande.
Ms. Mantoo reiterated UNHCR's opposition to Title 42 policy and the agency's call on countries since the start of the pandemic to continue to guarantee "access to asylum for those whose lives really depend on it."
"There are ways to manage public health considerations ... but also to guarantee the right to seek asylum," he said.
Meanwhile, UNHCR praised the administration of US President Joe Biden for its announcement that double the number of refugees it will accept in the next fiscal year to 125,000, amid mounting pressure from people fleeing Afghanistan and other countries.
