M.A.G. fled his country fearing for his life and safety as a gay man. Once in the U.S., he searched unsuccessfully for a long time for an attorney who could represent him and that he could afford. Three days before the asylum filing deadline, he was referred to NCLR and was granted asylum.

A.A. is a transgender man from Mexico. Despite facing family rejection and physical violence throughout his life for being transgender or being perceived to be too masculine, he remained in Mexico and tried to support his family there. However, when he started getting death threats from drug cartel members and police who were complicit, he realized he had to flee to protect his own life.

Jen (not her actual name) is a transgender woman from Mexico who faced physical and sexual violence from those around her, including her family. She realized that remaining in Mexico was not safe for her, and fled to the U.S. NCLR assisted her in getting asylum, which was granted in June 2018.

NCLR, along with Centro Legal De La Raza, the Transgender Law Center, and El/La Para Translatinas filed an amicus brief in the federal challenges to the Trump Administration’s Executive Order threating to cut off federal funding to sanctuary jurisdictions. Sanctuary policies are community-focused policies that prioritize overall public safety by establishing the trust of the entire community.