The UN asks the US to take advantage of the World Cup to rethink its immigration policy

Geneva.- The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, said this Wednesday that mega-sporting events like the World Cup starting tomorrow were conceived as moments of unity and peace, and that he hopes the United States government will take advantage of it to rethink “how the application” of its migration policy affects “human dignity”.

“The environment in which major sporting events, including the World Cup, are held must offer a dignified and safe atmosphere for the competing teams, for the fans, for society as a whole, and, frankly, for the world,” he commented during a press briefing in Geneva.

In that context and in relation to situations that have affected the participation of the Iranian football team, as well as players, technical staff, or a referee (of Arab or African origin) who were delayed or prevented from entering the U.S., Türk said he hopes there will be “a profound reconsideration of how the application of (U.S.) immigration laws respects human rights and human dignity.”

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He added that the World Cup is an occasion for “rethinking the policies that, unfortunately, we have seen prevail in particular in the United States at this moment.”

He maintained that situations such as racial profiling, surveillance, and the enforcement of immigration laws should not affect this World Cup “in the way they already have” before it even begins.

“I also hope that an end will be put to the dehumanization of Arabs, migrants, refugees, and asylum seekers, because no one benefits from divisive narratives that foster division,” he stressed.