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NEW YORK. – The United Nations expressed deep concern on Tuesday at mass deportations of Haitian migrants from the US, warning they could go against international law.

The White House has faced a torrent of criticism after the US started sending planeloads full of Haitian nationals back to their crisis-wrecked country over the weekend. The crisis intensified after pictures spread quickly over social media appeared to show riders swinging their reins to threaten migrants and push them back toward the Rio Grande river.

The head of the UN refugee agency UNHCR, Filippo Grandi, said he was “shocked by images of the deplorable conditions beneath the concrete highway overpass in Del Rio, Texas, where more than 14 000 Haitians had gathered after arduous journeys.”

He also lashed out at the US government’s Title 42 policy, which was brought in by the previous administration of Donald Trump to stop most arrivals at the southern border on the grounds that migrants could spread Covid-19.

“The summary, mass expulsions of individuals currently under way under the Title 42 authority, without screening for protection needs, is inconsistent with international norms and may constitute refoulement,” Grandi said in a statement. – Global Times.