More than three months after the federal government began aggressive immigration sweeps and arrests, community leaders and human rights advocates are appealing to the United Nations to intervene.
The call comes amid mounting allegations of violence, constitutional violations, and racial profiling tied to the raids, which have already drawn national controversy.
Labor and human rights icon Dolores Huerta underscored the urgency: “People have already been killed while this is going on.”
Rep. Maxine Waters (D–Los Angeles), who has long criticized President Donald Trump’s immigration policies, lent her voice in support of affected families.
“We stand for community leaders and for families who despite personal risk are coming forward to share painful accounts,” Waters said.
Those accounts include disturbing testimony. Cary Lopez Alvarado, a U.S. citizen pregnant and near delivery when she was detained, described being left bruised and traumatized:
“I had cuts and bruises and both my hands and my feet were purple. I had dilated two centimeters from everything that happened.”
Another individual, Juan, said he was seeking work when agents raided a Home Depot parking lot. Though his green card was expired, he had supporting documentation in his backpack.
“They just throw me and start hitting me,” he said.
Human rights organizations argue the raids violate constitutional protections and disproportionately target Latinos. While a federal judge issued a temporary injunction against “roving patrols,” the U.S. Supreme Court sided with the Trump administration, allowing them to continue pending litigation.
In response, the Carrillo Law Firm — joined by Waters, Lopez Alvarado, and other U.S. citizens — has petitioned the United Nations Human Rights Council. Attorney Michael Carrillo explained the request:
“They can appoint human rights violations experts to investigate. They can also send individuals into the countries to investigate to see whether there is abuse of human rights within that country.”
Supporters are urging the public to sign an online petition backing the UN filing. Huerta, now 95, drew parallels to her own life experience:
“I lived through ‘Operation Wetback’ when they were deporting people at that time, but I never saw any kind of abuse like we’re seeing today.”
Meanwhile, Lopez Alvarado’s family faces economic hardship following her husband’s deportation, forcing her to launch a GoFundMe campaign for support.
President Trump, in a recent speech before the UN General Assembly, criticized the institution as “feckless,” praised his administration’s immigration crackdown, and warned Europe of what he called the dangers of migration and climate policy.
The remarks came just days after the UN condemned the U.S. for sanctioning its Special Rapporteur on Palestinian human rights, saying the move threatened the credibility of international human rights oversight.
The petition now places U.S. immigration enforcement practices under global scrutiny, with advocates framing it as both a domestic legal fight and an international human rights issue.
