UN experts warn US migrant transfer deals 'heighten risks' of torture, persecution

US arrangements to transfer migrants and asylum seekers to third countries are exposing them to "heightened risks" of human rights violations, including torture and persecution, UN experts warned Monday.

The experts said in a statement that Washington has already sent at least 23,000 third-country nationals to 29 countries and territories under the arrangements, which target asylum seekers and migrants at different stages of immigration proceedings.

"The harms caused by this US Government scheme are no longer hypothetical," they said, warning of risks including torture, ill-treatment, enforced disappearance and violations of the principle of non-refoulement, which prohibits returning people to places where they face serious harm.

The experts said they have sent communications to the US and all governments with which it had entered into such arrangements as of June 2026, totaling 35 countries and territories.

They warned that migrants could also face arbitrary detention, lack of legal counsel and due process, family separation, trafficking, homelessness and inadequate access to healthcare.

"States cannot contract out of their international legal obligations," the experts said, stressing that non-refoulement obligations apply at every stage of a transfer.

They called on all states and territories involved to immediately halt the arrangements and restore access to fair and effective asylum procedures.