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non-refoulement

The principle prohibiting states from returning individuals to countries where they face serious threats to life or freedom. A cornerstone of international refugee and human rights law, recognized as a norm of customary international law.

Related incidents

15 incidents

Secretive $7.5 Million Deal Deports 29 People to Equatorial Guinea's Authoritarian Regime

A secret agreement with one of the world's most repressive regimes has stranded 29 deportees in Equatorial Guinea, where they face indefinite detention without counsel or forced deportation to the …

  • The Trump administration paid Equatorial Guinea $7.5 million in a secretive deal to accept 29 deportees from the United States, as part of a …
  • The 29 deportees were sent on two flights — November 24, 2025 and January 22, 2026 — and came from nine countries: Ethiopia, Eritrea, …

CBP One App Shutdown: 30,000 Asylum Appointments Cancelled, 270,000 Stranded

The immediate shutdown of the CBP One asylum scheduling app on Inauguration Day cancelled 30,000 appointments and stranded 270,000 asylum seekers, eliminating the primary legal pathway to request …

  • On January 20, 2025, at noon EST, CBP removed the scheduling functionality from the CBP One app, instantly cancelling approximately 30,000 …
  • An estimated 270,000 migrants continued logging into the app seeking appointments after the shutdown, indicating the scale of people relying …

Third-Country Deportations to Rwanda, Ghana, and South Sudan

The US paid Rwanda, Ghana, Eswatini, and South Sudan to accept deportees who are not their nationals, in deals a federal judge ruled unconstitutional. HRW called the expulsion agreements violations of …

  • Rwanda agreed to accept up to 250 deportees from the US under a deal involving approximately $7.5 million in US financial support. Eswatini …
  • US District Judge Brian Murphy ruled the third-country deportation policy violates federal immigration law and migrants' constitutional …

Secret Deportation of 260+ Venezuelans to CECOT Mega-Prison

Over 260 Venezuelans were secretly deported to CECOT, where HRW documented torture, sexual violence, prolonged incommunicado detention, and denial of basic necessities. Many deportees had no criminal …

  • 260+ Venezuelan nationals were secretly deported to CECOT between March and April 2025, without notice to families or attorneys, …
  • HRW's 'You Have Arrived in Hell' report documented regular and severe physical abuse, sexual violence (at least 3 cases including forced …

Forced Disappearances of Salvadoran Deportees in El Salvador's Prison System

Systematic forced disappearances of Salvadoran nationals deported from the US, held incommunicado in Salvadoran prisons including CECOT with no access to lawyers, families, or courts. The US bears …

  • Human Rights Watch documented 11 cases of Salvadorans deported from the US between mid-March and mid-October 2025 who were immediately …
  • None of the deportees have been allowed to communicate with their relatives or lawyers. None have been brought before a judge.

Secret $6 Million Contract to Outsource Detention to El Salvador's CECOT

A secret $6 million contract enabled the US to outsource detention to El Salvador's CECOT mega-prison, where HRW documented systematic torture. The unreleased agreement created an unprecedented …

  • The US paid $6 million to El Salvador to detain deportees at CECOT, a mega-prison where HRW documented systematic torture including sexual …
  • The agreement was negotiated during Secretary Rubio's February 2025 visit to El Salvador and finalized as a written deal that has never been …

US Arms Transfers to Israel During ICJ Genocide Proceedings

Continued US arms transfers to Israel during ICJ genocide proceedings, including emergency bypasses of Congressional review, combined with active diplomatic defense of Israel at the ICJ, raising …

  • Since October 2023, the US has delivered 90,000 tons of arms to Israel on 800 transport planes and 140 ships, continuing throughout ICJ …
  • The Trump administration approved 12,000+ thousand-pound bombs via emergency authority in 2026, bypassing Congressional review of the …

Mass Termination of Temporary Protected Status Across 11 Countries

TPS was terminated or targeted for termination across 11 countries, de-documenting over 1 million people. Federal courts have blocked or paused several terminations. The State Department maintains 'Do …

  • 1.6 million people lost their legal right to stay in the United States in 2025 across all TPS and parole terminations -- the largest mass …
  • TPS was terminated or targeted for 11 countries: Venezuela, Haiti, Honduras, Nicaragua, Nepal, Afghanistan, Cameroon, Syria, Somalia, …

Secret Cameroon Deportation Agreement and Torture of Deportees

The US secretly deported 17 people from 9 African countries to Cameroon under a covert agreement. Deportees were immediately beaten by gendarmes, arbitrarily detained, and subjected to torture. …

  • Under a secret agreement, the US deported 17 people from 9 African countries (Angola, DRC, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Morocco, Senegal, Sierra …
  • Deportees included asylum seekers with court-ordered protections against deportation and at least one stateless person.

Deportations to Haiti Despite Gang Control and Humanitarian Collapse

The US deported Haitians to a country the FAA banned US airlines from landing in due to gang gunfire, where 90% of the capital is under gang control and 1.4 million are displaced. DHS terminated TPS …

  • 90% of Port-au-Prince is under gang control as of July 2025 according to the United Nations.
  • The FAA banned US airlines from landing at Port-au-Prince airport after deportation planes came under gang gunfire; flights were rerouted to …

Indefinite Suspension of US Refugee Admissions Program and Record-Low Resettlement Cap

The administration indefinitely suspended refugee resettlement and set the lowest admissions cap in US history at 7,500, prioritizing white Afrikaners, while stranding refugees mid-transit including …

  • Executive order on January 20, 2025 indefinitely suspended the US Refugee Admissions Program effective January 27.
  • The FY 2026 refugee cap was set at 7,500 -- the lowest in US history, down from 125,000 under Biden -- with priority given to white South …

Termination of Temporary Protected Status for Venezuelan Nationals

DHS Secretary Noem terminated Venezuela TPS, and the Supreme Court allowed it to take effect, de-documenting approximately 350,000 people and exposing them to removal to a country the State Department …

  • DHS Secretary Noem terminated TPS for Venezuela under the 2023 designation on February 5, 2025.
  • Approximately 350,000 Venezuelans lost legal status and work authorization.

Reimposition of 'Remain in Mexico' Migrant Protection Protocols

The administration reinstated 'Remain in Mexico,' forcing asylum seekers to wait in Mexican cities that the US State Department itself rates as 'Level 4: Do Not Travel' due to kidnapping and violence. …

  • DHS reinstated MPP on January 21, 2025, forcing asylum seekers to wait in Mexican border cities while their cases are processed in US …
  • MSF documented that in one border city, 75% of MPP patients had been kidnapped while waiting in Mexico under the policy.

Suspension of Asylum at the Southern Border

The administration imposed an unprecedented total ban on asylum claims at the southern border, shutting down the CBP One app and eliminating all avenues for protection. A federal judge ruled the …

  • Executive order signed January 20, 2025 suspended all asylum processing at the southern border and shut down the CBP One scheduling app.
  • The order declared an 'invasion' at the southern border and invoked emergency powers to bypass statutory asylum protections.

Kilmar Abrego Garcia Deported to El Salvador Despite Withholding Order

Federal officials removed Kilmar Abrego Garcia to El Salvador despite a preexisting withholding order barring that destination, then spent weeks litigating what it meant to 'facilitate' his return …

  • An immigration judge had already barred Abrego Garcia's removal to El Salvador.
  • Public reporting said he was transferred into El Salvador's CECOT prison system.