Human Rights First

Human Rights First

@humanrightsfirst.org

Together, we defend freedom so that justice and democracy prevail 🤝

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Human Rights First
@humanrightsfirst.org

Today, @iceflightmonitor.bsky.social housed @humanrightsfirst.org, released its September report, noting an increase in shuffle flights, which take people between detention centers across the U.S., thousands of miles away from their homes, loved ones, and legal counsel. Read the full report.

humanrightsfirst.orgICE Flight Monitor’s September Report Reveals Alarming Increases in Deportation & Domestic Transfer Flights Amidst the Trump Administration's Cruel Mass Deportation Campaign

Human Rights First reposted

Immigrant Defenders Law Center
@immdef.bsky.social

Replying to @immdef.bsky.social

Through 50+ interviews, @humanrightsfirst.org documents how the Trump administration's third-country removal practices are devastating the lives of refugees and torture survivors. 🔗 tinyurl.com/4r57b9wr

tinyurl.com"In the Middle of the Night, They Come and Get You": Systematic Government Pursuit of Refugees and Torture Survivors Granted Protection by U.S. JudgesUnder the second Trump administration, the U.S. government has carried out a systematic effort to detain and deport people who were granted refugee and torture protection in the United States. Because...
Human Rights First
@humanrightsfirst.org

We extend our deep appreciation to the legal service providers and advocates who shared their time and expertise with us. Most importantly, we thank the refugees, immigrants, and their loved ones who bravely shared their stories with us. This report exists because of your courage & resilience.

Human Rights First reposted

Brian Dooley
@dooleydooley.bsky.social

Thanks to @voelkerrechtsblog.org for running this piece by @suchitauppal.bsky.social & myself of @humanrightsfirst.org about the inquest into killings by British soldiers of 5 civilians in Belfast in 1972 @finucanecentre.bsky.social @museumfreederry.bsky.social @cjharvey1.bsky.social

Völkerrechtsblog@voelkerrechtsblog.org

Despite missing records, fading memories & witnesses who had died, the Springhill/Westrock inquest found that British soldiers shot dead 5 people in Northern Ireland in 1972 without justification. @dooleydooley.bsky.social and @suchitauppal.bsky.social write about finding the truth 54 years later.

voelkerrechtsblog.orgFinding the Truth After Fifty Years
Human Rights First
@humanrightsfirst.org

Since 2022, Russian missiles have attacked 43 railways stations, killed 52 railway workers, & damaged or destroyed 500 locomotives. From Kyiv, @dooleydooley.bsky.social shares the extent & impact of Russia's intensifying attacks on trains and their passengers in Ukraine. @glushko.bsky.social

humanrightsfirst.orgRussia Intensifies Attacks on Trains in UkraineI’m in the same bomb shelter in Kyiv where I’ve spent many hours, often entire nights, since Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022. It’s close to the main railway station, which until now did...

Human Rights First reposted

Brian Dooley
@dooleydooley.bsky.social

Great to do this with you, Anne. @humanrightsfirst.org @finucanecentre.bsky.social

Anne Cadwallader@annecadwallader.bsky.social

Brian Dooley (of "Human Rights First") and I sat down for a chat about our newly published books which approach the subject of courage and truth in two very, very, different ways. See what happened next: open.spotify.com/episode/0wd4...

open.spotify.comNorthern Ireland & Human Rights: Brian Dooley and Anne CadwalladerThe Irish America Magazine Podcast · Episode
Human Rights First
@humanrightsfirst.org

For the @theguardian.com, EG Justice's Founder & Exec Dir. @tutualicante.bsky.social & @humanrightsfirst.org's President & CEO Uzra Zeya write about the admin's cruel policy of third country deportations, & how it is fueling corruption while violating the rights of refugees & torture survivors.

theguardian.comTrump is disappearing refugees into the hands of torturers – and rewarding them handsomely | Tutu Alicante and Uzra ZeyaRefugees from third countries are being sent to Equatorial Guinea, where they are often sent back to the very countries they fled
Human Rights First
@humanrightsfirst.org

“The harms caused by this US Government scheme are no longer hypothetical. The arrangements are triggering a cascade of human rights violations, increasing risks of torture and ill-treatment and enforced disappearance and breaching the...principle of non-refoulement in countries around the world."

ohchr.orgUS migration externalization scheme mires over 35 other states, triggering cascade of human rights violations including torture: Human Rights ExpertsGENEVA – US migration externalization arrangements are already putting migrants at heightened risk of human rights violations, including torture and persecution, Human Rights Experts** warned today, a...
Human Rights First
@humanrightsfirst.org

"Turning our backs on refugees is turning our backs on our own humanity" We join @rcusa.bsky.social in decrying the administration's presidential determination, & we continue to call for nondiscriminatory refugee processing & prioritization of the most at-risk refugees for resettlement.

rcusa.orgRefugee Council USA Decries Trump Administration’s Presidential Determination on Refugee Admissions for FY 2027 that Discriminates Against Refugees Most At Risk and Shamefully Rejects the Most Vulnera...
Human Rights First
@humanrightsfirst.org

Activists helping migrants and refugees at the Poland-Belarus border are still targeted with prosecutions, home searches and threats, while funding and public attention fade. Our @dooleydooley.bsky.social and @suchitauppal.bsky.social write in @justsecurity.org.

justsecurity.orgActivists at the Poland-Belarus Border are Still Being Prosecuted for Providing Aid to MigrantsPeople who help migrants and asylum seekers at Poland's border with Belarus continue to be targeted by Polish authorities.
Human Rights First
@humanrightsfirst.org

Yesterday, SCOTUS allowed the admin to resume sending people to third countries where they face persecution or torture. Many of those removed under this policy have faced grave harm, incl. arbitrary detention, beatings & forced return to the very places from which US courts granted them protection.

Human Rights First
@humanrightsfirst.org

The Court's order does not say that DHS’s policy is lawful, and the Court will now be deciding the legality of the policy on an expedited schedule. We continue to defend and advocate for people, many of whom refugees and torture survivors, at risk of being sent to places where they face grave harm.

Human Rights First
@humanrightsfirst.org

Pleased to co-sign these letters to the President of the UN Human Rights Council, HRC Member States & UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk, calling on them to hold the US accountable for its human rights abuses despite its refusal to participate in the Universal Periodic Review process.

arabnews.comDozens of NGOs demand US return to UN rights reviewNGOs are calling for the US to participate in the UN human rights review after its boycott last year. This boycott by the Trump administration drew criticism over alleged abuses.

Human Rights First reposted

ICE Flight Monitor
@iceflightmonitor.bsky.social

1/2 ‼️UPDATE: Based on information shared by attorneys, IFM is actively monitoring for forced third country removal flights expected to conduct deportations in several Sub-Saharan African countries as soon as tomorrow.

Human Rights First
@humanrightsfirst.org

At an #UNGA event on the Global Alliance for Human Rights, @humanrightsfirst.org President & CEO Uzra Zeya warned of threats to international human rights, urging gov'ts to uphold their human rights treaty commitments, & all stakeholders to consult with & support Human Rights Defenders worldwide.

humanrightsfirst.orgStatement by Uzra Zeya, President and CEO, Human Rights First High-Level Side Event: "Human Rights for All – From Commitment to Collective Action" UNGA81, 23 September 2026This Global Alliance could not come at a more critical time, for a multilateral human rights system under siege. The U.S. government campaign to dismantle the International Criminal Court and bully St...
Human Rights First
@humanrightsfirst.org

We are proud to have partnered with the @forbidden-stories.bsky.social consortium on this investigation, working closely with reporters for months to help bring to light the shadowy practice of removing people to third countries where they have no ties, and where they are at grave risk.

Forbidden Stories@forbidden-stories.bsky.social

🔴🇺🇸 [#DeportationProject] Explore the Map Behind the US Third Country Deportation System When people are deported, but not to their countries of origin... Where do they go?

Human Rights First
@humanrightsfirst.org

“Helping someone survive a night in the forest should never land you in a courtroom." In our new report, we document the intimadtion, threats, & prosecution faced by human rights defenders helping people at the Poland-Belarus border. @suchitauppal.bsky.social @dooleydooley.bsky.social

humanrightsfirst.orgNew Report: Human Rights Defenders at Poland-Belarus Border Face Continued Targeting, Require Sustained SupportHuman Rights Defenders (HRDs) helping migrants and asylum seekers at Poland's border with Belarus say Polish authorities continue to target them with prosecutions, interrogation and home searches. Man...

Human Rights First reposted

Brian Dooley
@dooleydooley.bsky.social

These times are hard for human rights & those who defend them, but we’ve still managed to help with & see real victories over the last year, in courts from Belfast to Bialystok Read more below @finucanecentre.bsky.social @museumfreederry.bsky.social

Human Rights First@humanrightsfirst.org

"Working alongside local lawyers & human rights activists over many years, sometimes decades, we have been able to help them win important victories, even in these difficult times." Read @dooleydooley.bsky.social & @suchitauppal.bsky.social's latest blog post.

humanrightsfirst.orgSuccess in Difficult DaysDespite the enormously difficult climate for human rights and those who defend them, over the last 12 months Human Rights First has been involved in a series of international courtroom successes invol...
Human Rights First
@humanrightsfirst.org

DHS must respect due process and give people meaningful notification and the chance to contest removal to a country where they face harm and persecution. @nwirp.bsky.social

Human Rights First@humanrightsfirst.org

Major win in the DVD v. DHS case today: the First Circuit has ruled that the third-country deportation policy is unlawful. www.humanrightsfirst.org/library/firs...

humanrightsfirst.orgFirst Circuit Affirms District Court, Strikes Down DHS’ Third-Country Removal Policy
Human Rights First
@humanrightsfirst.org

"Working alongside local lawyers & human rights activists over many years, sometimes decades, we have been able to help them win important victories, even in these difficult times." Read @dooleydooley.bsky.social & @suchitauppal.bsky.social's latest blog post.

humanrightsfirst.orgSuccess in Difficult DaysDespite the enormously difficult climate for human rights and those who defend them, over the last 12 months Human Rights First has been involved in a series of international courtroom successes invol...
Human Rights First
@humanrightsfirst.org

The State Dept's new South Africa visa ban is the latest example of misuse of U.S. sanctions. It perpetuates false and debunked narratives about anti-white discrimination, all while the Trump admin has systematically pursued its own deeply discriminatory policies.

Reuters@reuters.com

US announces visa curbs for some foreign nationals in South Africa reut.rs/4h73X2l

reut.rsUS announces visa curbs for some foreign nationals in South AfricaSecretary of State Marco Rubio ‌said on Tuesday the U.S. government was announcing a new visa restriction ​policy targeting some foreign nationals ​in South Africa.
Human Rights First
@humanrightsfirst.org

In August, the cruelty of the Trump administration was on full display through an escalation of forced third country transfers, shuffle flights between U.S. detention centers, and weekly removal flights to danger and insecurity in Haiti, our latest report from @iceflightmonitor.bsky.social reveals.

humanrightsfirst.orgCruelty of the Trump Administration on Full Display in August 2026, ICE Flight Monitor’s August Report RevealsIn a report released today, ICE Flight Monitor, housed at Human Rights First, reveals that the Trump administration conducted at least 325 removal flights to 40 countries throughout August, subjecting...
Human Rights First
@humanrightsfirst.org

"This administration seems to have no bottom when it comes to cruelty." Savi Arvey, our Director of Policy, Refugee & Immigrant Rights, spoke with @miamiherald.com about yesterday's deportation flight to Haiti, carrying people - including families and children - who spent over 13 hours in shackles.

miamiherald.comDeportation flight delays, ICE’s last-minute adds leave Haitian officials scrambling“This administration seems to have no bottom when it comes to cruelty and for overtly sending people to danger.”
Human Rights First
@humanrightsfirst.org

The protected status of over 200,000 Salvadorans across the US remains in limbo. Thousands of Salvadoran families have been plunged into uncertainty, living with the anguish of not knowing what lies ahead or how to make decisions for their futures. @alianzaamericas.bsky.social

alianzaamericas.orgLas personas con TPS merecen respuestas claras y el cumplimiento de la ley | Alianza AmericasAlianza Americas hace un llamado al secretario Mullin para que cumpla con la ley y publique una decisión oficial que brinde claridad a las comunidades afectadas.
Human Rights First
@humanrightsfirst.org

It is clear that El Salvador is not safe. Just yesterday, we issued recommendations to the Canadian government to impose sanctions on Salvadoran officials, including Nayib Bukele, for gross human rights violations in the country. The U.S. must provide Salvadorans the protections they were promised.

humanrightsfirst.orgHuman Rights First and the Raoul Wallenberg Centre for Human Rights Urge Sanctions Against President Bukele and Top Salvadoran Officials for Abuses Committed During State of ExceptionToday, Human Rights First (HRF) and the Raoul Wallenberg Centre for Human Rights (RWCHR) recommended the Canadian government impose sanctions against El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele and other sen...

Human Rights First reposted

Brian Dooley
@dooleydooley.bsky.social

Great to be at the @finucanecentre.bsky.social in Derry today with visiting US indigenous delegation, discussing historical connections between US & Irish activism @humanrightsfirst.org @humanrightsfirst.org

PAT FINUCANE CENTRE@finucanecentre.bsky.social

The US indigenous delegation, guests of the BS Trust, visiting the PFC in Derry today. Oglala Lakota, Northern Cheyenne, Arapaho, Dakota, Boricua, Keetoowah Band of Cherokee, Siha Sapa Lakota! @museumfreederry.bsky.social

Human Rights First
@humanrightsfirst.org

Since 2022, 92,000+ people have been detained and stripped of fundamental rights, including children, human rights defenders, and journalists. Many have been tortured and forcibly disappeared, including 100s of Venezuelans and Salvadorans illegally transferred by the Trump admin.

Human Rights First
@humanrightsfirst.org

"We urge Congress to act without delay to restore welcome to those fleeing from persecution.” We are proud to join @rcusa.bsky.social & partners in calling for a full resumption of refugee processing & resettlement under a nondiscriminatory framework to protect the most at-risk refugees.

rcusa.orgAhead of FY 2027 Presidential Determination on Refugee Admissions, RCUSA Calls for Nondiscriminatory Resettlement for Refugees Most At Risk, Termination of the Refugee Ban, and Investments in our Comm...
Human Rights First
@humanrightsfirst.org

Pierre Damas Bel was a devoted son, talented soccer player, and gifted student. He meant so much to so many people. His loss is a direct, devastating consequence of the cruelty of the Trump administration's policies. Our thoughts and our condolences are with Pierre's loved ones.

nytimes.comHaitian Student, Despondent Over Ankle Monitor, Dies in Apparent SuicideThe 20-year-old was fitted with a tracking device under a Trump administrative initiative targeting Haitians in Springfield, Ohio.
Human Rights First
@humanrightsfirst.org

No one should be subjected to dehumanizing and cruel immigration policies. We are urging elected representatives to speak out - to vehemently oppose these policies that deliberately push people into hopelessness and vulnerability.

Human Rights First
@humanrightsfirst.org

On Friday, the Trump administration forcibly sent people from Afghanistan, Nepal, Iran & Nicaragua to the Central African Republic. Many of them had protection from removal. They find themselves in a volatile, insecure place, at risk of being sent to the very places they fled.

nytimes.comRelative of Afghans Who Helped U.S. Military Is Deported to AfricaThe Trump administration has deported thousands of immigrants to countries where they have no ties. Dozens were on the latest flight, to the Central African Republic.
Human Rights First
@humanrightsfirst.org

On board was Khalil, 24. His father, brother & sister worked alongside U.S. forces in Afghanistan. Last year, a judge granted him protection, shielding him from deportation. Marine Col. Zachary Schmidt said to the @nytimes.com that if Khalil is returned to Afghanistan, he will be killed.

Human Rights First
@humanrightsfirst.org

Khalil's forced removal comes as we mark the five-year anniversary of the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan. The Trump admin is cruelly violating the promise we made to our Afghan allies & families to protect them. Khalil, his family, & many others deserve the safety that they were promised.

Human Rights First reposted

Ryan Goodman
@rgoodlaw.bsky.social

Extraordinary, powerful and heart-wrenching. Active duty Marine Colonel Zach Schmidt, speaking in his personal capacity, about Khalil, an Afghan national whose family helped U.S. forces in Afghanistan. Khalil was deported by the U.S. on Friday to a conflict zone.