(d) Provide adequate reparation to victims and members of their families;
(e) Provide human rights training for public officials; and
(f) Effectively monitor the conduct of State agents, and regulate that of private persons
and entities, with a view to preventing such acts.
22. States parties are also required to take effective measures to fight all manifestations of
racism, xenophobia or related intolerance against migrant workers and members of their
families, especially those in an irregular situation, such as hate crimes, incitement to hatred
and hate speech, including by politicians and in the media, and to raise public awareness
about the criminal nature of such acts as well as to promote respect for migrant workers’
human rights.
2. Protection against
arbitrary arrest
and detention
23. Article 16 protects the right of migrant workers and members of their families to
liberty and security of person (para. 1), and provides that identity controls of migrant
workers must comply with the procedure established by law (para. 3). Article 16, paragraph
4, complements article 9, paragraph 1, of the International Covenant on Civil and Political
Rights, adding that migrant workers and members of their families shall not be subjected
“individually or collectively” to arbitrary arrest or detention. In order not to be arbitrary,
arrest and detention of migrant workers and members of their families, including those in
an irregular situation, must be prescribed by law, pursue a legitimate aim under the
Convention, be necessary in the specific circumstances and proportionate to the legitimate
aim pursued.
24. The Committee considers that crossing the border of a country in an unauthorized
manner or without proper documentation, or overstaying a permit of stay does not
constitute a crime. Criminalizing irregular entry into a country exceeds the legitimate
interest of States parties to control and regulate irregular migration, and leads to unnecessary
detention. While irregular entry and stay may constitute administrative offences, they are
not crimes per se against persons, property or national security.24
25. Although article 16, paragraph 4, does not define the permissible grounds for detention,
it states that migrant workers and members of their families shall not be deprived of their
liberty, except on such grounds and in accordance with such procedures as are established
by law. Furthermore detention must be prescribed by law, pursue a legitimate aim under the
Convention, be necessary in the specific circumstances, and proportionate to the legitimate
aim pursued.
26. In the Committee’s view, any custodial or non-custodial measure restricting the right
to liberty must be exceptional and always based on a detailed and individualized assessment.
Such assessment should consider the necessity and appropriateness of any restriction of
liberty, including whether it is proportional to the objective to be achieved. The principle of
proportionality requires States parties to detain migrant workers only as a last resort, and to
give preference to less coercive measures, especially non-custodial measures, whenever
such measures suffice to achieve the objective pursued. In all such cases, the least intrusive
and restrictive measure possible in each individual case should be applied.
27. Administrative detention of migrants that is initially lawful and non-arbitrary may
become arbitrary if it continues beyond the period for which a State party can provide
proper justification. To prevent such a situation from occurring, a maximum period of
administrative detention shall be established by law, upon expiry of which a detainee must
be automatically released in the absence of such justification. Administrative detention
must never be unlimited or of excessive length. The justification for keeping a migrant
worker detained shall be reviewed periodically to prevent prolonged and unjustified
detention, which would be considered arbitrary. Preventive detention of migrant workers
often leads to prolonged detention based on vague criteria. Therefore, such detention should
24
See report of the Special Rapporteur on the human rights of migrants to the Human Rights Council (A/
HRC/20/24), para. 13.
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