US LGBTQ+ Asylum Seekers Treated “Like Dogs” by ICE

US LGBTQ+ Asylum Seekers Treated "Like Dogs" by ICE

A disturbing report by Immigration Equality has been released and reveals that those from the LGBTQ+ and HIV-positive communities are being treated very badly. One in three queer asylum seeks have been sexually assaulted and almost all report being harassed based on their sexuality.

These LGBTQ+ asylum seekers are fleeing nations that have inflicted what Immigration Equality calls "unimaginable violence and torture" and mistreatment in ICE facilities just echoes what they are fleeing, causing trauma. The report indicates that half of the refugees have been subject to solitary confinement based on sexuality. There are also reports that queer refugees are being denied medication. Refugees also report that terms like “HIV”, “gay,” and “transgender” were being written on doors and that they were not protected from other refugees who might lash out against them because of their LGBTQ+ identity.

Many refugees also report being treated hostile when asking for legal representation, often being denied. Sexual assault runs rampant among these refugees and some report that after they alerted authorities about their attacks, they were put into solitary confinement and had to undergo physically intrusive questioning.

Acacia Center For Justice reports that seeking asylum based on LGBTQ+ discrimination is grueling and is harder to achieve than other asylum seekers. Under the current policy, refugees must report persecution based on "race, religion, nationality, political opinion, or membership in a particular social group." Queer identification falls under social group. Refugees also have to prove that they are gay, trans or non-binary, or provide proof of HIV status. Um, how do you prove that you are gay? Also, questioning is done in a communal setting, and the queer refugees are not separated into their own group, so they essentially are outed to everyone. For those who have had to hide their identity to stay alive, this is extremely traumatizing. Then to be treated, like one refugee reported, as dogs is inhumane.

There is no official report as to the exact number of refugees seeking asylum that are LGBTQ+ but the Williams Institute reports that 1.3 million adult immigrants in the U.S. identify as part of the queer community. The process can take years and the Biden administration implemented a policy for immigrants coming from the south that only a certain number of refugees would be accepted, the rest being deported in a matter of days.

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