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06/10 09:13 CDT After troubled World Cup lead-in, UN human rights chief urges
'rethink' of US immigration policy
After troubled World Cup lead-in, UN human rights chief urges 'rethink' of US
immigration policy
By GRAHAM DUNBAR
AP Sports Writer
GENEVA (AP) --- The United Nations' top human rights official called Wednesday
for a "massive rethink" of immigration policies especially in the United States
around the World Cup.
Issues around "racial profiling, surveillance and immigration enforcement" were
cited by U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Trk even before the
48-nation, 39-day tournament starts Thursday.
Iran's team was moved from a training camp in Arizona to Mexico, some Iranian
officials were denied U.S. entry visas, Africa's top referee from Somalia was
refused entry in Miami and images circulated of a Senegal player being frisked
by a security guard on airport tarmac.
"We have seen some of the scenes," Trk told reporters at a briefing at the
U.N.'s human rights agency headquarters.
"I hope that the issues around racial profiling, around surveillance, around
immigration enforcement are not going to affect this World Cup in the way that
they have already done," the Austrian lawyer said.
The U.S. is hosting most of the 104 games in a shared project with Canada and
Mexico, though it is only the policies of federal agencies under U.S. President
Donald Trump's administration that have drawn criticism.
"I really hope that there is a massive rethink of how immigration enforcement
is respecting human rights and human dignity," Trk said, "and that especially
for the World Cup there is a rethink of the policies that we are unfortunately
seeing prevailing especially in the U.S. at the moment."
Trk said global sports should be "where the world comes together in unity and
in peace."
"It is clear that the environment in which mega sport events including the
World Cup take place need to provide a dignified and safe environment, for the
teams that compete but also for the supporters, for the whole society and
frankly for the world," he said.
Fans from countries like Morocco and Scotland, who spent thousands of dollars
on flights, hotels and tickets for the most expensive World Cup ever, have
reported having their travel documents denied or revoked just days before they
were due to travel.
FIFA's bidding rules in 2017 for nations wanting to host this World Cup stated
visa processing "must be applied in a non-discriminatory manner," with the
caveat it must not "adversely affect the national immigration and security
standards."
US links referee to terror groups In the case of Somali referee Omar Artan, a U.S. official said he was refused admission due to "association with suspected members of terror organizations," though without specifying details or providing proof. FIFA was unable to protect the referee it picked for World Cup duty despite its president Gianni Infantino building closer ties to Trump and administration officials in the past 18 months. FIFA also has aligned itself with UN guiding principles on business and human rights that it pledged should be respected at its tournaments. Trk highlighted a wider point about the treatment of people worldwide moving between different nations. "I also hope that the dehumanization of the other, the dehumanization of migrants, the dehumanization of refugees and asylum seekers is put to an end," he said. "Nobody benefits from divisive and polarizing narratives." ___ AP World Cup coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/fifa-world-cup |
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