Amnesty International has called for the immediate dissolution of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), considering that it has been responsible for widespread human rights violations. The organization states, in a report made public this Thursday, that these practices would have occurred within the framework of immigration control operations carried out in cities like Chicago and New Orleans, as well as in other states of the country, and that they also involve other federal agencies.
The document details large-scale human rights abuses attributed to ICE, to the Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and to other federal agencies, in the context of militarized interventions in Chicago, Minneapolis, New Orleans, and Washington.
In its report "We had whistles, they had guns: Human Rights Violations in U.S. Immigration Control Operations and Reasons to Abolish ICE," Amnesty states that the Trump Administration is applying a system of mass detentions and deportations "fueled by racist, xenophobic, and false rhetoric" with the purpose of "detaining and deporting from the United States as many migrants, asylum seekers, and refugees as possible."
"Our report documents a chilling pattern of human rights violations across the United States aimed at instilling fear in migrant communities, asylum seekers, and refugees," said Nadia Daar, executive director of Amnesty International USA. "The ICE's record of human rights violations is nothing new, but our report shows that many of these abuses have reached a dangerous new level."
The report attributes to the Trump Administration a long list of human rights abuses, including extrajudicial killings, arbitrary and discriminatory detention incommunicado, possible enforced disappearances, and the use of force to suppress peaceful protests. According to Amnesty, ICE agents acted within an institutional structure explicitly supported and reinforced by high-ranking government officials, including the president himself.
"Masked and armed federal agents attacking impunely people in the streets do not make our communities safer: they put everyone in danger," noted Daar. "ICE is fundamentally useless and irreparable. For the United States government to have an immigration control system that complies with laws and Human Rights standards, it is necessary to abolish ICE and start from scratch."
"Applying racial profiles and kidnapping people on the street, separating families, and arbitrarily detaining individuals are not only cruel and illegal practices, but they are also enormously harmful," emphasized Ana Piquer, director for the Americas of Amnesty International. "These practices violate Human Rights and cause fear and psychological distress, as well as chronic health problems for children, other family members, and entire communities."
The report also highlights the organizing capacity of the affected communities to "resist and protect each other." These networks, according to Amnesty, were decisive in gathering evidence about Human Rights violations. Protests became an "important tool of resistance."
Daar has acknowledged that it is "heartbreaking to see the pain and suffering caused by this government that criminalizes and demonizes immigrant people," although at the same time he has expressed his "hope" regarding the response of the communities that have mobilized.
In addition, he insisted that "we must hold accountable the government officials responsible for this regime of terror and continue fighting for an immigration system based on human rights and dignity."
Amnesty International's conclusions point out that the abuses detected in the four analyzed operations do not constitute isolated episodes, but rather are part of a systematic pattern of violations with devastating effects for immigrant people and for entire neighborhoods and communities.
Amnesty and other entities have been documenting Human Rights violations committed by ICE for years, as well as an alarming lack of oversight and accountability mechanisms since the creation of this agency in 2003.