HRW: Trump’s Immigration Policy ‘Punitive, Discriminatory, and Racist’

DID Press: Human Rights Watch (HRW) has described the Trump administration’s recent actions to suspend immigration and asylum processes as “punitive hostility toward certain nationalities” and represent “an evident flow of racism.” The organization warned that the broad suspension of asylum requests and immigration procedures for citizens of 19 countries “has no security basis” and violates the United States’ international human rights obligations.

Tanya Green, Director of the U.S. Program at Human Rights Watch, said: “There is no meaningful factor connecting these 19 countries except the government’s opportunistic labeling based on individuals’ country of birth. These sweeping changes are not about security; they are about sacrificing nationalities to justify discriminatory policies.”

This response came after the U.S. government, following the deadly November 26 incident in Washington—where an Afghan migrant was accused of attacking two National Guard soldiers—announced the suspension of all asylum processes for all nationalities, along with immigration procedures for citizens of 19 countries.

After the incident, President Trump said that he intends to “permanently stop immigration from all Third World countries,” remarks that were accompanied by racially charged comments against the Somali community.

The countries affected by the new restrictions include Afghanistan, Iran, Libya, Myanmar, Yemen, Venezuela, Somalia, Sudan, Chad, Congo, Cuba, Haiti, Eritrea, Laos, Togo, Turkmenistan, Sierra Leone, Equatorial Guinea, and Burundi. Under this policy, issuance of green cards, citizenship, and other immigration processes have been halted for citizens of these countries.

HRW emphasized that U.S. officials “have provided no evidence” showing that asylum seekers or citizens from these 19 countries pose any greater security threat than others. The organization added that the new policy revives and expands the “Muslim travel ban” logic of Trump’s first term.

“These policies tear families apart, endanger the lives of those fleeing persecution and threats, and further undermine U.S. credibility on human rights. The government must immediately revoke these decisions,” warned Green.

This policy decision comes amid growing concerns that the right to global asylum is being violated and that certain nationalities are being targeted solely because of their country of origin.