Eight migrants deported from the United States arrived in war-torn South Sudan last Saturday, sparking sharp criticism from UN rights experts.
The group, stranded weeks at a military base in Djibouti, included only one South Sudanese national.
UN-appointed independent experts condemned the US resumption of deportations to third countries on Tuesday, warning such actions risk sending people into danger.
Their alarm follows a recent Supreme Court ruling allowing the Trump administration to deport foreign nationals to countries other than their own.
International law prohibits sending individuals where they face risks of torture, enforced disappearance, or arbitrary death, the experts stressed.
The US policy seeks to remove migrants to third countries when their home nations refuse to accept them.
Experts said deportees must have access to fair, legally supervised procedures to contest removal and avoid cruel or inhuman treatment.
They warned the US’s expedited removal process can deport people within a day without judicial review or court hearings.
Assessments of risk must be individual and country-specific, the experts emphasized, citing US commitments under the Convention Against Torture.
The experts called on Washington to halt deportations to third countries, guarantee legal assistance for migrants, and ensure independent judicial oversight.
Their statement urged the US to uphold its international obligations and protect vulnerable migrants from being sent into harm’s way.
