U.N. refugee commission head suggests that U.S. deportation practices violate international law

Filippo Grandi, the U.N. high commissioner for refugees, also criticized a wider "backlash" in some countries against migrants and refugees.

GENEVA — The head of the U.N. refugee agency suggested Monday that President Donald Trump's America has carried out deportation practices that violate international law, and criticized a wider "backlash" in some countries against migrants and refugees.

Filippo Grandi, the U.N. high commissioner for refugees, used a speech to lament that drastic funding cuts and shortages have forced his agency, UNHCR, to slash nearly 5,000 jobs this year, or nearly a quarter of its workforce. The cuts may not be finished, he said.

"This was certainly not an easy year for any of us," Grandi told the opening of UNHCR's executive committee. "But remember, please: There has never been an easy year to be a refugee — and there never will be."

He did cite some bright spots and praised the Trump administration-led peace efforts in Congo, where conflict has displaced millions of people.

At the U.N. General Assembly last month, the Trump administration — which has slashed support this year for international humanitarian aid — pitched other countries on its view that the global system of seeking asylum has been abused and needs to be revamped, in part by cracking down on migration.