LGBTQ+ Immigrant Survivors at Greater Risk

By Ahlam Moussa

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June 28, 2024

LGBTQ+ Immigrant Survivors at Greater Risk

At ASISTA, we see all too often how LGBTQ+ immigrant survivors of violence are subject to increased vulnerability on the path to safety and justice in the US. Homophobia and transphobia, whether “casual” or institutionalized, result in additional barriers to services, decreased access to justice, and a greater risk of experiencing violence for already-traumatized immigrant survivors. Now, a powerful new report just released by Immigration Equality, the National Immigrant Justice Center (NIJC), and Human Rights First (HRF) details grossly unjust conditions with CBP and ICE detention for LGBTQ and HIV-positive people. According to the report, "No Human Being Should Be Held Here”: The Mistreatment of LGBTQ and HIV-Positive People in Federal Immigration Jails", these conditions routinely include high rates of physical and sexual violence, improper and prolonged solitary confinement, and inadequate medical care.” For survivors of gender-based violence (GBV), experiencing detention and otherwise navigating the US’s byzantine immigration system while also enduring heightened risks of discrimination, abuse, and neglect based on sexual orientation and/or gender identity only further compound existing trauma.

As June draws to a close and many corporations prepare to shelve their rainbow flags and themed merchandise until next year’s Pride celebration, we urge our community to honor Pride’s multiple meanings. The celebration that Pride represents–of strength, resistance, resilience, and the hard-fought gains toward a more just world for people of all genders and sexual orientations–is undeniably valuable. But headlines from around the country and around the world regularly remind us that these battles are far from over–and that Pride also represents an urgent, unrelenting call for safety and justice for LGBTQ+ people. As hateful rhetoric and attacks against immigrants and LGBTQ+ individuals continue to mount, we thank you for joining us in the ongoing fight for dignity, rights, and liberty for LGBTQ+ immigrant survivors of violence.

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