The U.S. in its laws and international agreements endorses the concept of non-refoulement, under which governments can’t force people to return to places where they face persecution on the basis “of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group or political opinion.” For the government to send someone to an environment that it believes is dangerous may not break the letter of the law, but it certainly violates the spirit of non-refoulement.

Source: Los Angeles Times January 31, 2019 19:06 UTC