LGBT people from all over the globe come to the United States for many different reasons. Some come to escape civil unrest. Others seek a better life for their children. Some fall in love with an American citizen. And still others flee, simply and most crucially, because their very lives are at stake.
LGBT immigrants face specific and varying challenges that other immigrants don’t, and U.S. immigration laws unfairly discriminate against LGBT people and people with HIV and/or AIDS. As immigrants, their lives here are often precarious and endangered. With our unique expertise and experience, NCLR is committed to helping overcome the immigration hurdles faced by LGBT immigrants.
news & opinion
Statement
NCLR Calls on Congress for Immigration Equality for Families
Comprehensive Immigration Reform Legislation Must Include Protections for Binational Couples among the Family Unity Provisions
07.15.10—Today, the National Center for Lesbian Rights joined a coalition of organizations and leaders calling on Congress to insist that the Uniting American Families Act (UAFA) be included in comprehensive immigration reform legislation going forward.
Statement
Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Rights Groups and Allies Join Outcry Against Anti-Immigrant Measure in Arizona
06.07.10 —More than 20 lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) equality groups and allies today issued the following joint statement: Arizona’s S.B. 1070 takes the state down a path that will lead to racial profiling, discrimination and anti-immigrant extremism.
Statement
NCLR Condemns Arizona's Unconstitutional Anti-Immigration Law
A statement from NCLR Executive Director Kate Kendell 04.26.10—Today the National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR) released a statement strongly condemning the passage of Arizona’s “Support Our Law Enforcement and Safe Neighborhoods Act” (SB 1070). The new law would require law enforcement officials to stop people whom they believe are in the U.S. illegally and demand proof of their immigration status.
Opinion
Why LGBT People Must Demand Immigration Reform
NCLR's Blog: Out for Justice
03.19.10— There is a large battle looming in Washington over legislation to reform our nation’s immigration laws. This coming Sunday, March 21, many LGBT immigrants, their families, and allies will march in support of immigration reform.
In The News
NCLR's Asylum Work Featured in Newsweek
11.30.08—Last year, the United States received about 49,000 applications for asylum due to a fear of persecution based on race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion, more than any other nation. Of those, 22,930 individuals were officially granted asylum, according to the U.S. Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services. In 1994 the "members of a particular social group" clause was expanded to include foreign citizens who feared persecution based on their sexual orientation. (In order to apply for asylum, one must already be present in the United States, either legally or illegally.)
from the docket
Victory! (Mexico)
In re M.G.
M.G. is a gay man from Mexico who came to the United States fleeing physical abuse from gangs and extortion by the police. When his mother died when he was 17, M.G. faced more physical violence from his father and his oldest brother because of his sexual orientation. Feeling desperate, he moved out and was homeless until he was eventually taken in by a neighbor in his small town of Mixquiahuala de Juarez. This neighbor treated him like a son and gave him shelter, food, and protection. Nevertheless, her sons were unhappy about M.G. staying there and would not allow him to eat at the table with them or enter their homes. By the time he was 20, he left and headed for the capital, where he found a job in an auto shop.
Victory! (Uganda)
In re E.G.
E.G. is a young gay man from Uganda who came to the United States in order to pursue higher education. As a child and young adult, he was often verbally abused by his family members for behaving in a way that seemed too different from other boys. As he grew older, he learned to hide his sexuality for fear of being arrested by the police on the basis of his sexual orientation. E.G. hid from government operatives who hunt down men who are suspected to be gay, and then once arrested, are often tortured.
Victory! (Honduras)
In re A.C.
A.C. is a prominent lesbian activist for LGBT rights and women’s rights in Honduras. A paramilitary gang of masked, armed men attacked A.C. in her home in Honduras and sexually assaulted her while making derogatory comments about her sexual orientation. A.C. did not report the sexual assault to the police, fearing that the police would subject her to further harassment or violence. After the attack, A.C. received a series of threatening phone calls that also used derogatory terms to describe her sexual orientation. She eventually fled to the United States and filed for asylum.