WASHINGTON — The Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Human Rights Violators and War Crimes Center (HRVWCC) commemorates Human Rights Day on December 10, the same day the U.N. General Assembly adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights celebrates the proposition that freedom, justice and peace in the world are fundamental rights that all individuals are entitled to equality.
The HRVWCC is led by HSI and works in close collaboration with the FBI’s International Human Rights Unit and other U.S. government and foreign law enforcement partners to identify, investigate, prosecute, and remove from the United States individuals who have carried out genocide, torture, war crimes and other serious human rights violations. The HRVWCC has also sought to deny perpetrators of human rights abuses entry to the United States. The United States welcomes refugees, asylum seekers and other persons who have been victims of war crimes and other atrocities but will not be a safe haven to those who commit such atrocities.
“Every day the women and men of HSI dedicate themselves to identifying, investigating, prosecuting and removing perpetrators of genocide, torture, war crimes and other violations of human rights” said Assistant Director for National Security Andre Watson. “We are committed to protecting the dignity and human rights of people around the world and will not allow the United States to be a safe haven for those who violate human rights.”
Since 2003, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has arrested more than 520 individuals for human rights-related violations of the law under various criminal and immigration statutes. During that same period, ICE obtained deportation orders against and physically removed 1152 known or suspected human rights violators from the United States. Additionally, ICE has facilitated the departure of an additional 199 such individuals from the United States.
Currently, HSI has more than 180 active investigations into suspected human rights violators and is pursuing more than 1,945 leads and removals cases involving suspected human rights violators from 95 different countries. Since 2003, the HRVWCC has issued more than 79,000 lookouts for potential perpetrators of human rights abuses, and stopped over 390 human rights violators and war crimes suspects from entering the U.S.
Members of the public who have information about foreign nationals suspected of engaging in human rights abuses or war crimes are urged to contact HSI by calling the toll-free HSI Tip Line at 1-877-447-4847 or internationally at 001-1802-872-6199. They can also email HumanRights@hsi.dhs.gov. Both are staffed around the clock and tips may be provided anonymously.