Philippe Bolopion is the executive director of the advocacy group Human Rights Watch. His organization dedicated 10 pages to the United States in its annual report on the state of human rights worldwide, published on Wednesday, February 4.

What conclusions can be drawn from the events in Minneapolis, where two people were killed by federal immigration agents?

These events are in line with the Trump administration’s disregard for human rights and the rule of law. Human Rights Watch’s analysis shows there is no legal justification for these deaths. Regardless of their background, views or past, the policing practices employed by [the federal immigration police] ICE are extremely problematic, especially with masked agents.

This is a theatrical display of violence by the Trump administration, and a way to send a clear signal that almost anything goes for these agents. The American presidency loudly proclaims that it is not bound by the rule of law or by international law. Trump himself says he is constrained only by his own conscience on the international stage. One has to wonder if it is not the same within the US.

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