Human Rights Watch warns US heading to ‘authoritarianism’
HRW's World Report 2026 highlights the Trump administration's policies that accelerated democratic decline and widespread human rights violations in the United States during 2025.
- On February 4, 2026, Human Rights Watch warned that the US is shifting toward authoritarianism in the 529-page World Report 2026.
- Policy moves including immigration and security measures helped drive the shift, with President Donald Trump’s return intensifying a "downward spiral" through racial scapegoating, National Guard forces, and expanded executive coercive powers.
- Human Rights Watch documented deployment of masked ICE officers and large federal deployments that carried out hundreds of violent and abusive raids across U.S. cities.
- Official pushback and internal dissent followed the report release as HRW paused publication and two members resigned, highlighting internal disagreements.
60 Articles
60 Articles
Human Rights Watch flags US 'authoritarian' drift
Human Rights Watch warned Wednesday that President Donald Trump was turning the United States into an authoritarian state as democracy declines globally to its lowest ebb in four decades. Trump's return to the White House has intensified a "downward spiral" on human rights that was already under pressure from Russia and China, the New York-based advocacy and research group said in its annual report. "The rules-based international order is being …
Human Rights Watch sharply criticizes US in annual report
By Michael K. Lavers, Washington Blade Courtesy of the NLGBTQ Media Association Human Rights Watch Executive Director Philippe Bolopion on Wednesday sharply criticized the Trump-Vance administration over its foreign policy that includes opposition to LGBTQ rights. “The U.S. used to actually be a government that was advancing the rights of LGBT people around the world and making sure that it was finding its way into resolutions, into U.N. documen…
Human Rights Watch says the US has undermined democracy | Morning News Bulletin 5 February 2026
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Trump has attacked pillars of democracy, says Human Rights Watch
By Daphne PsaledakisWASHINGTON, Feb 4 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump has attacked key pillars of his country's democracy, Human Rights Watch warned on Wednesday in its annual global report, citing the Republican president's immigration crackdown, threats to voting rights and other policies.
The NGO Human Rights Watch warned Wednesday that President Donald Trump is transforming the United States into an authoritarian state.
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