Human Rights Watch (HRW) claimed that US President Donald Trump’s executive orders, signed on his first day in office, threatened human rights “both in the US and abroad.”
In the statement, Tirana Hassan, HRW executive director, accused these executive orders of “threatening the rights of already marginalized and vulnerable populations who are disproportionately people of color.”
One such controversial order attempts to end birthright citizenship for babies born in the US to parents who entered the country illegally or temporarily. The order is facing legal challenges, with rights groups claiming that the order violated the 14th Amendment of the US Constitution, which guarantees that “all persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States.”
The group also condemned Trump’s immigration-related executive orders for depriving refugees of their right to seek asylum and humanitarian protections and amounting to racial profiling. These orders, also known as a basket of policies seeking to “make America safe again,” include blocking their entry to the US by resuming border wall construction and suspending refugee admissions.
In addition, HRW decried the executive order prohibiting diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. The initiatives required governments to protect women and minorities in the workplace. With Trump’s order, transgender citizens can no longer serve in the US military and the federal government cannot recognize transgender identities.
Last, HRW also observed that Trump’s several orders could cause harm to international society. The group denounced Trump’s revocation of sanctions on people who “undermined peace, security and stability” in the West Bank, which the group described as causing further harm to Palestinians and obstructing the work of the International Criminal Court. The group similarly decried Trump withdrawing the US from the Paris Climate Accords, signalling the country’s reduced commitment to mitigating climate change and related destructions. Relatedly, Trump also withdrew the US from the World Health Organization, which alarms health officials in the US and beyond.
In a concluding remarks, HRW maintained their solidarity with human rights defenders everywhere, and committed to fighting Donald Trump and his attacks on “dignity, freedom and justice.”
