RFK Human Rights

Habeas Petition Filed Seeking Release of 18-Year-Old with Special Immigration Status Unlawfully Detained in Louisiana ICE Facility - Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Tags Share Washington, DC – Today, the National Immigration Project, the ACLU of Louisiana, and Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights filed a habeas petition in federal court seeking the release of 18-year-o...

(3/3) Our filings ask the court to order Carlos' immediate release from detention and reaffirm that the government’s actions violate federal law and the U.S. Constitution. More information ⬇️.

(2/3) Carlos, who just graduated from high school in Spring Valley, New York earlier this year, has approved Special Immigrant Juvenile Status (SIJS) with Deferred Action. Despite this, in August, ICE unlawfully detained Carlos and sent him to a detention center in Louisiana.

(1/3) BREAKING: @nipnlg.bsky.social, ACLU of Louisiana, and RFK Human Rights filed a habeas petition in federal court seeking the release of 18-year-old Carlos Guerra Leon.

Please join the founder of @aprnetwork.bsky.social, former Georgia House Minority Leader, and our 2021 Ripple of Hope Award Laureate, @staceyabrams.com, on Wednesday, October 22, at 3:00 PM ET for a conversation about her latest novel, Coded Justice.

🔗 Register: rfkhro.org/4gVmJJw

U.N. Rohingya Conference Must Spark Concrete Action - Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Tags Share As the Rohingya community faces compounding crises, this week’s U.N. High-level Conference on the Situation of Rohingya Muslims and Other Minorities in Myanmar was held at a critical moment...

"'The genocide did not end in 2017. It has worsened.” said Wai Wai Nu, Founder and Executive Director of Women’s Peace Network.

'Ending impunity is the only way to end atrocities.'" @waiwainu.bsky.social @rfkhumanrights.bsky.social

#Myanmar #Rohingya

rfkhumanrights.org/our-voices/u...

Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Ethel Kennedy Golf Classic - Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Join Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights as we return to the Hyannisport Club in Hyannis Port, Massachusetts, for our 35th Annual Golf Tournament on Friday, October 17, 2025.

⛳️ Join us on the green this month! Don’t miss your chance to take part in our annual golf tournament for a day of competition, camaraderie, and connection for golfers of all levels.

🗓️ Friday, October 17
📍 Hyannisport Club, MA
🔗 Learn more and RSVP ⬇️

U.N. Rohingya Conference Must Spark Concrete Action - Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Tags Share As the Rohingya community faces compounding crises, this week’s U.N. High-level Conference on the Situation of Rohingya Muslims and Other Minorities in Myanmar was held at a critical moment...

#Myanmar: At Tuesday’s #UNGA80 High-Level Conference, #Rohingya activists issued powerful calls for concrete action to ensure protection for refugees, humanitarian aid, accountability for abuses, and safe, voluntary repatriation to Myanmar. Now Member States must act.

(1/2) Congratulations to our partner Efrén Olivares, VP of Litigation & Legal Strategy at @nilc.org, on being named to the 2025 @time.com 100 Next list! At @rfkhumanrights.bsky.social, we’re proud to stand with him in the fight for immigrant justice. Read my tribute to Efrén ⬇️.

Efrén Olivares Is on the 2025 TIME100 Next Find out why Efrén Olivares is on this year’s list

(2/2) Efrén isn’t just a brilliant lawyer. He’s an example of the principles we’re fighting to protect. His immigration story shows the promise of an America where everyone has the opportunity to realize their ancestors’ dreams. He is my hero. Congratulations, Efrén!

Everyday people in U.S. immigration detention suffer inhumane treatment that violates the most basic human rights. ICE has become a rogue agency, rampant with physical, sexual, and psychological abuse, and shielded by impunity. It's past time to hold our government accountable for these abuses.

(5/5) "There's a disturbing paper trail of ICE’s knowledge of what was happening in this facility,” said our U.S. Staff Attorney, Sarah Decker. “This is part of a system of neglect and abuse. This tells me that there's even more going on behind the scenes that we're not yet aware of."

(4/5) People who spoke up faced retaliation and were thrown in solitary confinement. ICE dismissed these complaints as “another hoax about ICE facilities.”

(3/5) For example, our clients were forced to push heavy cinder blocks and metal cabinets across a dorm, taking around 30 minutes, and then told to push the items back where they came from. The former assistant warden told them: “If you wanna be a man, I’ll treat you like a man.”

(2/5) The abuse came to light through our ongoing visits to Louisiana detention centers. Evidence shows that ICE was aware of this abuse, but systematically ignored and buried complaints. These failures in oversight have only gotten worse under the Trump administration.

ICE Warden Put Transgender Detainees into Forced Labor Program: Complaint A federal complaint accuses the warden of creating an ad hoc work program used to demean trans detainees.

(1/5) At least four people held at the South Louisiana ICE Processing Center say the former assistant warden subjected them to a forced labor scheme explicitly targeting transgender and LGBTQ+ people. The abuse included sexual assault and harassment, the denial of medical care, and retaliation.

(1/2) I’ve been working on human rights issues for 45 years, and all around the world, the first target of autocrats is always free speech. That’s what’s happening in our country right now, and it’s the most dangerous thing that can happen in a democracy.

(2/2) This is why we’re proud to honor Stephen Colbert at our Gala this December. Thank you @outfrontcnn.bsky.social for having me on last night!

Opinion | What Trump's U.N. address revealed about the dire state of American democracy The president's address to the United Nations put the dire state of our democracy in a terrible new light.

(1/3) Yesterday, we heard a speech from the President of the United States that did not reflect the values of our country or of the United Nations. Instead of calling for peace, dignity, and cooperation, Pres. Trump delivered a speech laced with fear, division, and misinformation.

(2/3) He mocked climate science while the planet burns. He demonized immigrants fleeing war, poverty, and persecution. And he dismissed the UN for holding nations, including our own, accountable to international law and human rights standards.

(3/3) This was a warning from a man intent on isolating the US from the world, silencing dissent, and denying science, justice, and truth. The world and our country deserve better.

(1/3) I'm excited to announce that Stephen Colbert, Host, Executive Producer, and Writer of @colbertlateshow.bsky.social will be honored with the 2025 @rfkhumanrights.bsky.social Ripple of Hope Award at our annual gala on December 9!

(2/3) Humor can be a catalyst for change, and Stephen stands as a shining example of how speaking truth to power, boldly, wisely, and with heart, can ignite change and send ripples of hope far beyond the stage. Congratulations, Stephen!

Ripple of Hope Award - Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights The Robert F. Kennedy Ripple of Hope Award honors exemplary leaders across government, business, advocacy, and entertainment who have demonstrated an unwavering commitment to social change and worked ...

(3/3) Join us in person to celebrate him and our other deserving laureates, Magic Johnson, @darrencwalker.bsky.social, Martin Cabrera, Jr., and Stefano Lucchini, on December 9! Purchase tickets ⬇️.

(4/4) “DHS has been piloting a secret DNA collection program of American citizens since 2020. Now, the training wheels have come off,” said Anthony Enriquez, our VP of US Advocacy & Litigation. More from @wired.com ⬆️.

(3/4) Among the profiles are children as young as 4 and elderly individuals in their 90s. And once their DNA is in CODIS, it stays there, potentially flagged in every future investigation for life.

(2/4) Many of those swabbed were never charged with a crime. Some were travelers stopped at airports, others were civil detainees. In dozens of cases, agents left the “charges” field blank or cited civil violations, which do not legally justify DNA collection under federal law.

DHS Has Been Collecting US Citizens’ DNA for Years Newly released data shows Customs and Border Protection funneled the DNA of nearly 2,000 US citizens—some as young as 14—into an FBI crime database, raising alarms about oversight and legality.

(1/4) CBP has been quietly collecting DNA from nearly 2,000 US citizens, including at least 95 minors, and sending it to CODIS, the FBI’s crime database originally intended for tracking violent offenders.

New report analyzes increasing political repression in Venezuela following 2024 presidential elections - Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Tags Share Washington, D.C., September 18, 2025 – Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights and Foro Penal today published a new report outlining patterns of political repression in Venezuela following the July ...

(3/3) At RFKHR, together with Foro Penal, we've just
released our 2025 report on enforced disappearances in Venezuela. We invite you to read it and join the call for accountability and justice ⬇️. rfkhumanrights.org/press/new-re...

(2/3) The Mission concludes: security forces are directly responsible for protest-related killings, enforced disappearances (some over 6 months), and torture. With the judiciary fully submissive to the executive, the only hope for victims lies with the international community.

Venezuela: The only hope for victims to find justice lies with the international community, says UN Fact-Finding Mission GENEVA – Warning that politically motivated persecution is intensifying, the UN Fact-Finding Mission on Venezuela said in a new report today that the only hope to find justice for victims lies with th...

(1/3) The #Venezuela FFM warns that politically motivated persecution in the country is intensifying. Their latest report reveals post-election repression, arbitrary detentions (including minors), torture, and deaths in custody—with total impunity.
www.ohchr.org/en/press-rel...