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UNHCR urges US to protect asylum rights in third-country deportations

From El Nacional · () Spanish

Translated from Spanish, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Context piece
  • The head of the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) urged the U.S. to strictly guarantee the right to asylum and non-refoulement in its agreements for deporting migrants to third countries.
  • UNHCR chief Barham Salih stated that such agreements must ensure protection for vulnerable individuals and prevent their return to places where they face harm.
  • The agency noted it was not consulted by the U.S. on these bilateral pacts but expressed willingness to collaborate to ensure international law compliance.

The head of the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) has warned the United States that its agreements for transferring migrants to third countries must rigorously uphold the right to asylum and the principle of non-refoulement. Barham Salih, the agency's chief, issued this statement in response to the resumption of deportation flights by the Donald Trump administration to Africa, a policy that has raised alarms among international organizations.

Salih emphasized during a virtual press conference that expelling vulnerable individuals is illegal under international frameworks that prohibit such actions when a migrant's life is at risk. "Transfer agreements must guarantee access to asylum, respect due process, and uphold the principle of non-refoulement. This means no one in need of international protection should be returned to a place where they risk harm," he asserted.

The high commissioner stressed that transfers can only be legal if they include robust safeguards and adhere to the principle of shared responsibility. He revealed that the U.S. government did not consult UNHCR when developing these bilateral pacts. Nevertheless, Salih conveyed the agency's readiness to assist nations in ensuring their procedures align with international law.

The U.S. administration's intensified migration measures have received legal backing. In mid-2025, the U.S. Supreme Court authorized the executive branch to carry out these expulsions, solidifying the closed-border policy that Trump has promoted since returning to power in January 2025. Under this express expulsion strategy, Washington has entered into agreements with countries including the Democratic Republic of Congo, El Salvador, Eswatini, Ghana, Rwanda, Uganda, South Sudan, Equatorial Guinea, and Sierra Leone.

DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by El Nacional in Spanish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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