WASHINGTON, D.C., United States — The international human rights organisation Human Rights Watch (HRW) has warned that the United States is sliding toward authoritarianism, in a stark assessment that reflects broader global concerns about democratic backsliding.
In its latest annual report, the New York-based watchdog said President Donald Trump’s return to the White House has intensified what it describes as a “downward spiral” in human rights and democratic norms in the United States, trends it said were already under pressure from Russia and China.
“The rules-based international order is being crushed,” HRW said in the report published on Wednesday, warning that the United States, once a standard-bearer for democratic values, now faces troubling erosion in key civil liberties.
Accusations of rights abuses and erosion of checks and balances
The report highlights what HRW calls “blatant disregard for human rights and egregious violations,” charging that the US has seen increased abuses under Trump’s second term.
Among the issues cited are the use of masked, armed agents from the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency in operations that reportedly involved “hundreds of unnecessarily violent and abusive raids.”
It also criticised the administration’s racial and ethnic scapegoating, the domestic deployment of National Guard forces in politically charged contexts, and acts of retaliation against perceived political opponents and former officials who have been critical of the president.
HRW argues these moves have eroded established democratic checks and balances, suggesting a shift toward greater executive power.
Enforced disappearances and international concerns
In a previously reported section of the HRW report, the organisation reiterated findings that the United States engaged in what it termed enforced disappearances, a violation of international law, by transferring 252 Venezuelan migrants to a maximum-security prison in El Salvador.
Allegations from those men, who were later allowed into Venezuela, include reports of torture, beatings and sexual violence.
Democratic metrics: ‘Less free’ than in decades
HRW draws on a range of measures to assess the state of democracy globally, concluding that the United States has declined to levels not seen since 1985, the year before the Soviet Union’s collapse.
“Russia and China are less free today than 20 years ago. And so is the United States,” the report said.
The watchdog’s executive director, Philippe Bolopion, urged nations to build durable alliances grounded in respect for human rights and democratic norms.
“From our perspective, for such an alliance to be strong and lasting, it must be built on principles and values, democracy, international law, human rights,” he said.
Contrasting official US reports
The HRW report stands in contrast to the latest US State Department human rights report, which softened criticism of allied governments.
That report said El Salvador in 2024 saw “no credible reports of significant human rights abuses” amid a major government crackdown on gangs that it said brought crime to a “historic low.”
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HRW, however, noted that amid gang violence reductions in 2025, authorities still carried out widespread abuses, including arbitrary detentions, enforced disappearances and ill-treatment of detainees.
Broader global context
The HRW warnings about the United States come as part of a broader pattern identified by the organisation of democratic erosion worldwide.
Recent analysis by human rights researchers highlights that global democracy is at its weakest in decades, with restrictions tighter not only in the US but also in a range of countries where civil liberties and civic space have been under pressure.
Critics of the report argue that strong security responses to immigration and crime challenges are necessary, while supporters of the HRW findings say the warnings serve as an essential reminder that even established democracies must safeguard institutional checks and human rights protections.
