LIMITS ON STATE AUTHORITY TO DEPORT CLIMATE-DISPLACED MIGRANTS UNDER INTERNATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS LAW
Keywords:
Climate displacement, Deportation, Human rights, Non-refoulement, State sovereignty.Abstract
States possess authority to regulate migration, but deportation remains subject to international human rights obligations. This article examines the legal limits on removing migrants who face climate-related threats in their countries of origin. Normative legal research employs treaty, conceptual, and case approaches, examining sources available through 2024. The analysis centres on the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the Human Rights Committee’s Views in Teitiota v. New Zealand, and relevant comparative jurisprudence. It finds that immigration status and refugee recognition do not independently determine whether removal is lawful. Substantial grounds for believing that return would expose an individual to a real risk of irreparable harm require a separate protection assessment. Climate-related claims must connect environmental conditions with personal circumstances, available protection, and reasonably foreseeable consequences. Effective procedures must also address relevant changes in conditions and risks of onward removal. The article proposes a framework distinguishing immigration authority, substantive prohibitions, and procedural safeguards. It concludes that sovereignty permits migration control within legal boundaries, while non-refoulement restricts particular removal measures without automatically creating refugee status or permanent residence.
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