• Human Rights in the United States

    The enormous US prison population, the world's largest, partly reflects harsh sentencing practices contrary to international law, such as disproportionately long prison terms and mandatory sentencing without parole. Those behind bars include a growing number of elderly people, whom prisons are ill-equipped to handle, and youth under age 18 held in adult prisons. Unauthorized immigrants and their families in the United States are vulnerable to abuses stemming from an outdated, ineffective immigration system that deprives them of basic rights, and increasing numbers are held in detention facilities. A number of abusive counterterrorism policies have continued under President Barack Obama, including detentions without charge at Guantanamo Bay.

  • Men recently deported from the US wait in line to be registered with Mexican authorities at the border in Nogales, Mexico.
    © 2010 Associated Press
    US: Prosecuting Migrants is Hurting Families
    The skyrocketing criminal prosecutions of migrants for illegally entering or reentering the United States carry huge human and financial costs, Human Rights Watch said in a report released today. Imprisoning migrants with minor or no criminal records before deporting them often affects people seeking to reunite with their families in the US or fleeing persecution.
More news »

Featured Content

Subscribe to content feed

Reports

More >>

US Domestic Policy

  • Attorney-Client Privilege? Not at Gitmo
    Jun 28, 2013
  • US: Immigration Reform Clears Major Hurdle
    Jun 27, 2013
    A landmark immigration reform bill that grants legal status to millions of people and reduces their vulnerability to human rights abuses has passed an important hurdle. The US Senate approved the bill by a vote of 68-32 on the afternoon on June 27, 2013.
  • US: Rulings Invalidate Anti-Same-Sex Marriage Laws
    Jun 26, 2013
    The US Supreme Court’s rulings on June 26, 2013, in two cases – United States v. Windsor and Hollingsworth v. Perry – have invalidated two of the most egregious anti-LGBT initiatives in the country.
  • New York: Assembly Passes Condom Law
    Jun 25, 2013
    (New York) – The New York State Assembly enacted a bill to end the use of condoms as evidence of prostitution-related offenses on the final day of the 2013 legislative session. Assembly bill 2736 was approved by a vote of 80 to 48 on June 21, 2013, and was delivered to the New York State Senate.
  • Immigration reform should protect families
    Jun 21, 2013
    The immigration reform bill now being debated on the floor of the US Senate, while not perfect, would bring millions of undocumented immigrants and their families out of the shadows, and deserves to be passed into law.
  • New York: Pass Condom Law to Protect Public Health
    Jun 20, 2013
    (New York) –The New York State Assembly should enact a bill that would prohibit the use of condoms as evidence of prostitution-related offenses. Assembly bill 2736 was voted out of the New York State Assembly Rules Committee on June 20, 2013 and could be passed by the full assembly before the session ends on June 21.
  • US: Reject Extreme Immigration Enforcement Bill
    Jun 19, 2013
    The United States House of Representatives should reject an expansive immigration enforcement bill that would worsen existing abuses within the US immigration system. House Resolution (HR) 2278, the Strengthen and Fortify Enforcement Act (or “SAFE Act”), passed the House Judiciary Committee on June 18, 2013.
  • US: Protect National Security Whistleblowers
    Jun 18, 2013
    The United States should protect people who use classified or other sensitive government information to expose what appear to be serious human rights violations and other government wrongdoing, Human Rights Watch said in a statement released today.
  • US: Statement on Protection of Whistleblowers in Security Sector
    Jun 18, 2013
    The recent public disclosures of US National Security Agency (NSA) dragnet surveillance have given new urgency to an important global debate on what controls are needed to ensure that the rights of people everywhere to privacy, expression, information and association are adequately protected.
  • US: Over-Criminalization Task Force Should Examine Federal Sentencing Practices
    Jun 17, 2013
    Human Rights Watch sent this letter to members of the US Congress, regarding the scope of the new Congressional Over-Criminalization Task Force. If the task force is to be effective, it needs to tackle multiple flawed facets of the criminal justice system, including not only overcriminalization but also federal sentencing practices.
more documents on this topic »