GENEVA (27 March 2026) – UN human rights experts* today welcomed the establishment of a process to document and report serious human rights violations allegedly committed in Minnesota by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents during Operation Metro Surge and Operation PARRIS. They called for action from authorities in other relevant jurisdictions.
“Victims must know the full truth about the violations, receive comprehensive reparation and be protected from further violence or retaliation,” the experts said.
Between December 2025 and February 2026, ICE and CBP officers allegedly shot at close range and killed two U.S. citizens who were defending the rights of migrants, used excessive force against individuals believed to be undocumented and targeted peaceful protesters, human rights defenders and bystanders. The operations reportedly relied on racial profiling and lacked judicial warrants. False accusations of “domestic terrorism” were also made.
“In any democracy rooted in the rule of law, such violations must never be ignored or left unaddressed,” the experts said.
On 25 March, the Governor of Minnesota signed an Executive Order establishing the Minnesota Truth Council. The Council aims to provide a safe forum for victims and community members to share their stories, and will operate under the principles of independence, impartiality, transparency and victim-centered inquiry. Its findings and recommendations will be distinct from and without prejudice to any ongoing or future legal proceedings.
“We commend the authorities in Minnesota for acting swiftly to establish a process to document, record and report on the violations. The initiative will help reveal the harm inflicted and the circumstances and responsibilities that led to it. It will be critical to provide redress to victims and healing to the community, ” the experts said.
The experts stressed that the United States of America – across federal, state, and local levels – has a binding duty under international law to document and conduct prompt, effective and independent investigations into grave human rights violations committed by its agents, in compliance with the Minnesota Protocol on the Investigation of Potentially Unlawful Death and international standards applicable to truth-seeking processes, with a view to holding those responsible to account and ensuring non-recurrence.
“Minnesota’s initiative is a decisive step forward in that direction.”
“We encourage authorities in all relevant jurisdictions to conduct investigations on any violation of this nature. We are ready to provide technical assistance where needed,” the experts said. “We also urge federal authorities to cooperate with criminal investigations by providing access to crime scene evidence and other relevant information.”
“Documenting, seeking the truth and ensuring accountability for serious human rights violations is not optional,” the experts said. “It is a legal obligation and a prerequisite for justice and guarantees of non‑repetition.”
The experts have been in contact with the authorities.
*The experts:
- Bernard Duhaime, Special Rapporteur on the promotion of truth, justice, reparation and guarantees of non-recurrence
- Morris Tidball-Binz, Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions
- Gina Romero, Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association
- Reem Alsalem, Special Rapporteur on violence against women and girls, its causes and consequences
- Irene Khan, Special Rapporteur on the right to freedom of opinion and expression
- Mary Lawlor, Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders
- Ben Saul, Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms while countering terrorism
Special Rapporteurs/Independent Experts/Working Groups are independent human rights experts appointed by the United Nations Human Rights Council. Together, these experts are referred to as the Special Procedures of the Human Rights Council. Special Procedures experts work on a voluntary basis; they are not UN staff and do not receive a salary for their work. While the UN Human Rights office acts as the secretariat for Special Procedures, the experts serve in their individual capacity and are independent from any government or organisation, including OHCHR and the UN. Any views or opinions presented are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of the UN or OHCHR.
Country-specific observations and recommendations by the UN human rights mechanisms, including the special procedures, the treaty bodies and the Universal Periodic Review, can be found on the Universal Human Rights Index https://uhri.ohchr.org/en/
UN Human Rights, country page – United States of America