(AURN News) — A United Nations anti-racism committee is warning that racist rhetoric from U.S. political leaders, including President Donald Trump, is helping drive human rights abuses against migrants and asylum seekers.
In a decision released March 11, the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination said ICE and Customs and Border Protection officers have used racial profiling, arbitrary identity checks and aggressive enforcement that has swept up people perceived to be Hispanic, African or Asian.
The panel also criticized the administration for allowing immigration arrests near schools, hospitals and houses of worship, saying the move is keeping vulnerable families away from health care, education and other essential services.
The committee says at least eight people have died since January during ICE operations or in ICE custody, and it is urging the U.S. to suspend those kinds of enforcement actions and publicly condemn racist hate speech.
The White House pushed back, calling the findings biased.
Click play to listen to the report from AURN White House Correspondent Ebony McMorris. For more news, follow @E_N_McMorris & @aurnonline.
