United Nations human rights experts have called on the United States to halt the Trump administration's policy of deporting migrants to third countries — nations that are not the migrants' country of origin.

The call, reported by Daily Nation, targets a practice under which US authorities remove asylum seekers and other migrants to states with which they have no prior connection, rather than returning them to their home countries or allowing them to pursue protection claims in the United States.

What the experts are asking for

The UN experts want an immediate stop to the third-country deportation policy. Their appeal adds international pressure to an approach that has already drawn challenges from migrant advocates and rights organisations inside the United States.

Third-country removals differ from standard deportation. Under standard deportation, authorities return a migrant to his or her country of nationality. Under the third-country model, authorities send the migrant to another state — often one that has agreed to accept non-nationals, sometimes in exchange for compensation or diplomatic concessions from Washington.

Who is affected

The policy applies to migrants in US custody, including asylum seekers who crossed the southern border and people whose protection claims US authorities have declined to hear or have deemed ineligible. Under third-country removal, these individuals may find themselves in a country whose language they do not speak, where they have no family ties, and where they may be unable to re-enter the US asylum system.

Human rights bodies have repeatedly warned that such transfers can expose migrants to risks including detention, refoulement to persecution, and denial of access to legal counsel in the receiving state.

Why it matters

The UN experts' intervention does not carry binding legal force, but it signals concern at the international level over US removal practices. UN special procedures — independent experts and working groups mandated by the UN Human Rights Council — regularly issue such appeals, known as communications, when they believe government actions may violate international human rights obligations, including the 1951 Refugee Convention's protections against refoulement.

For migrants currently in US removal proceedings, the development does not change the rules on the ground. US immigration courts and enforcement agencies continue to operate under existing statutes and executive actions until a domestic court or the administration itself alters course.

What to watch

Migrants and advocates should monitor announcements from the UN Human Rights Council's special procedures, US Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the Executive Office for Immigration Review, and the Department of Homeland Security for any change in removal policy. Appeals of this kind are sometimes followed by formal UN statements, country visits, or referrals to other bodies.

Readers facing an individual removal case should consult a licensed immigration attorney or an accredited representative; UN expert appeals are general in nature and do not constitute legal advice for any specific case.

This report is based on coverage by Daily Nation of the UN experts' appeal. Official texts of UN special procedures communications are published by the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.