Trump's portrayal of migrants as criminals may incite hate crimes, UN racism body warns

The United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination on Wednesday warned about "derogatory and dehumanizing language" used by U.S. President Donald Trump when referring to migrants.

It said it was deeply concerned not only about the language but also the dissemination of negative and harmful stereotypes targeting migrants, among others, by portraying them as criminals or as a burden.

"Portraying them as criminals or as a burden, by politicians and influential public figures at the highest level, particularly the President may incite racial discrimination and hate crimes," the committee said.

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Trump, a Republican, has sought to implement an aggressive immigration agenda since returning to the White House last year.

The campaign has resulted in increased immigration arrests and detentions. Trump's administration has also moved to strip legal status from hundreds of thousands of immigrants in the U.S. legally.

Democrats and activists have criticized the Trump administration for the way in which it has gone about carrying out that agenda, especially after two U.S. citizens were killed during federal immigration operations in Minnesota earlier this year.

At least 675,000 people have been deported since January 2025, the U.N. committee said, adding that it was alarmed about reports of excessive use of force and violence during immigration enforcement operations.

It said it was also gravely concerned about reports that the Trump administration was targeting people it perceived as migrants - a move that it described as increasing racial profiling.

-Jasper Ward/Reuters