UN urges Washington to uphold asylum access after D.C. attack

KABUL (Pajhwok): United Nations agencies have urged the US to uphold international obligations toward asylum seekers after US President Donald Trump announced plans to halt migration from what he described as “Third World” countries in the wake of an attack near the White House.

Trump’s statement followed Wednesday’s shooting incident, which investigators say involved an Afghan national who entered the US in 2021.

The incident has triggered a new wave of proposed restrictions on immigration and asylum procedures.

Speaking at a press briefing in Geneva on Friday, Jeremy Laurence, spokesperson for the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), stressed that individuals seeking refuge must not be deprived of their legal protections, Reuters reported.

“They are entitled to protection under international law, and that should be given due process,” Laurence said.

Echoing the call, UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) spokesperson Eujin Byun emphasized that states have a clear responsibility under international norms.

“When people who need protection arrive in their territory, they must be given due process of asylum and access to territory,” she stated, noting that the vast majority of refugees are law-abiding members of their host communities.

Byun said the agencies were appealing to all host countries to uphold humanitarian principles at a time when refugees and asylum seekers are facing heightened scrutiny.

sa