The United Nations Office for Human Rights has reminded the United States on Friday that seeking asylum is a “universally recognized right” in the face of mass deportations announced by US President Donald Trump.
“The right to seek asylum is a universally recognized right and we urge all states to ensure humane border governance based on human rights,” said the spokesperson for the UN Office for Human Rights, Ravina Shamdasani, at a press conference held in Geneva.
This includes, according to Shamdasani, ensuring the right of migrants “to individualized assessments of their particular circumstances,” to “protection against collective expulsion and return, as well as against “arbitrary detention.”
In this regard, he reiterated that “all states have the right to exercise their jurisdiction along their international borders,” although “they must do so in accordance with their human rights obligations.”
Shamdasani also indicated that migrants, especially those who are undocumented, “are among the most vulnerable in any society, in countries around the world, including those in the United States.” Thus, he reiterated that human rights must be “at the center of any government action.”
For his part, the spokesman for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), Matthew Saltmarsh, recalled that people who need international protection “should not be returned to places where they are in danger.”
“Asylum seekers must, of course, have access to fair and efficient procedures to determine their claims. People fleeing conflict, persecution and violence need effective avenues to seek safety,” she said.
Saltmarsh also stressed that “refugee resettlement is a crucial measure to save the lives of those most at risk,” including “survivors of violence or torture” in their countries of origin.
