UN committee warns against 'racist hate speech' by political leaders

ISTANBUL

The UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) on Wednesday warned against racist hate speech by political leaders, including the president, amid "intensified immigration crackdowns" in the US.

"Racist hate speech by political leaders, including the President, combined with intensified immigration crackdowns in the United States, notably near schools, hospitals and faith-based institutions, has sparked grave human rights violations," CERD warned in a written statement.

The statement noted that CERD is "disturbed by the growing use of derogatory and dehumanizing language, and the dissemination of negative and harmful stereotypes targeting migrants, refugees, and asylum seekers."

It added that portraying migrants, refugees, and asylum seekers as criminals "or as a burden" by politicians and influential public figures at the highest level "may incite racial discrimination and hate crimes."

The committee underscored that "the systematic use of racial profiling and arbitrary identity checks by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the Customs and Border Protection (CBP) against people of Hispanic/Latino, African or Asian origin has resulted in widespread arrests of refugees, asylum seekers, migrants, and people perceived as such."

It "raised alarm" that these groups' lives and physical integrity "are jeopardised by the excessive use of force and violence by enforcement officers during immigration operations."

CERD also noted that the US decision to rescind long-standing limits on immigration enforcement in and near schools, hospitals, and places of worship "hinders migrants, in particular undocumented migrants, refugees, asylum seekers, and those perceived as such, from accessing essential services, such as healthcare, and education.”

The committee urged the US to review legislative measures adopted since January 2025 through a human rights lens, suspend immigration enforcement in and around schools, hospitals, and places of worship, and clearly define and explicitly ban racial profiling by law enforcement during such operations.

"It further urged the State Party to publicly condemn racial discrimination and racist hate speech, and to adopt immediate measures to establish human rights-based non-custodial alternatives to detention, particularly for children, families, and others in vulnerable situations," the statement added.