FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE November 9, 2018 Contacts: Lauren Gray, NCLR lgray@nclrights.org / (215) 983-3099 Trump’s Plan to Cut Off Access to Asylum is Illegal and Will Endanger LGBTQ Lives Washington, D.C.—Yesterday, the Trump administration announced its intention to adopt a new federal rule preventing certain individuals who enter the U.S. from Mexico from seeking asylum. For more than 20 years,...
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Asylum
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. These cases usually take months to prepare but given that this was a life or death situation, our immigration project team did everything we could to put together a case for him and submit all the necessary materials in the course...
Jen (not her actual name) is a transgender woman from Mexico. From a young age, she faced physical and sexual violence from those around her, including her family, who targeted her because of her feminine behavior. As an adult, she continued to face violence from others, including multiple interactions with abusive police officers. On one occasion, a police officer threatened her with a gun, and sexually assaulted her and another transgender woman, who was her friend. Right before she left...
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. Once in San Francisco, he was able for the first time to start doctor-supervised treatments to affirm his...
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE June 11, 2018 Contact: Lauren Gray, NCLR Communications Director lgray@nclrights.org / (215) 983-3099 NCLR Statement in Response to Attorney General Sessions’ Decision to Exclude Domestic Violence and Gang Violence as Grounds for Asylum WASHINGTON, D.C.—U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions imposed stringent new limitations on asylum claims brought by those fleeing domestic or gang violence. This...
As Congress considers overhauling and repairing our broken immigration system, NCLR has been committed to identifying areas where LGBTQ immigrants are especially vulnerable and working to ensure those issues are addressed. Detention facilities and standards for transgender detainees is one such area of heightened vulnerability. Immigrants in the U.S. are detained in detention facilities for a number of reasons, including non-punitive reasons like while they are seeking asylum or refugee...
This publication provides a comprehensive analysis of the unique challenges of lesbian asylum claims, including practical advice and legal strategies for lesbian asylum seekers. View PDF
S.H. is a lesbian from Bosnia who came to the United States in 2006 to escape the oppressive and abusive conditions she faced because of her sexual orientation in her home country. While vacationing with her girlfriend in another town, a group of men found out that they were lesbians and raped them. The police initially took a report but later that night told the two women that they had to leave town. The police blamed the women for the assault and accused them of trying to cause problems in a...
N.A. is a young gay man from Saudi Arabia, who lived his life in fear that others would discover his sexual orientation. He knew that gay men were often detained by police, tortured and killed‚ and he also knew that his family would disapprove or even turn him in to the police if they found out about his sexual orientation. As a result, he often hid his feelings towards men, fearing the repercussions. Growing up, it was very difficult for him to accept his sexual orientation while he was...
R.T. is a gay man from Peru who fled to the United States because he was the victim of severe harassment and violence in his home country. While in Lima, Peru, he was physically assaulted several times in public, and was subjected to sexual abuse as well. The persecution started when he was young, with verbal and emotional abuse that eventually led to physical abuse. As he grew older, the abuse and harassment only worsened. After being stripped naked at his workplace by co-workers who...