News

Op-Ed – Immigration Has a Public Image Crisis >

by Ilon Rincon Portas, Immigration Equality Board Member

• Feb 12, 2025

By Ilon Rincon Portas, Immigration Equality Board Member As a queer, non-binary refugee from Venezuela, I experienced the desperation of seeking asylum. I lived in constant terror, not knowing what tomorrow would bring. I struggled to envision a better future. However, my experience is not unique: it is the reality for LGBTQ+ individuals worldwide fleeing violence, prison time, and the death penalty for simply existing.
Know Your Rights: Information on How to Prepare and Protect Yourself >

by Immigration Equality

• Jan 21, 2025

For information on how you can prepare and protect yourself right now, visit our Know Your Rights pages, available in English, Spanish, and Russian. Watch videos and read answers to the most common questions we have received about how to stay safe.
What You Need to Know About Trump’s New Policy Targeting Trans, Non-Binary, and Intersex Immigrants >

by Immigration Equality and Oasis Legal Services

• Feb 05, 2025

Immigration Equality, in collaboration with Oasis Legal Services and National Immigrant Justice Center, published an FAQ which provides important information concerning passports and immigration related identity documents in the wake of the Trump Executive Order targeting transgender, nonbinary, and intersex communities.
Our Collective Power: A Message from Our Executive Director on the Election Results >

by Aaron C. Morris

• Nov 06, 2024

I know that many of you are shaken by the election results and what this means for you and your loved ones. With the return of a Trump administration, attacks on LGBTQ people and immigrants will intensify. While this moment is difficult, it’s also a reminder of how crucial our work at Immigration Equality is.
Asylum is a Fundamental Human Right: Leading LGBTQ Groups Unite Against Latest Assault on Vulnerable Refugees >

by Bridget Crawford

• Jul 08, 2024

U.S. law preserves an individual's right to seek asylum regardless of how they enter the U.S., yet the Biden administration issued a new rule that would strip that right from asylum seekers who cross the southern border between ports of entry. A coalition of 16 organizations voiced their strong opposition, saying, "Punishing the most vulnerable refugees... undermines the fundamental right to asylum, violating the letter and spirit of the law."
“No Human Being Should Be Held There”: The Trauma and Resilience of LGBTQ Immigrants in U.S. Detention >

by Immigration Equality

• Jun 21, 2024

Our new report, co-produced with the National Immigrant Justice Center and Human Rights First, details the rampant abuse and neglect LGBTQ and HIV-positive people endure in U.S. immigration jails. “No Human Being Should Be Held There” is a stark reminder of the human cost of a broken and increasingly complex immigration system.
For Asylum Seekers Without An Attorney, Self-Help Guides Provide a Roadmap >

by Immigration Equality

• May 21, 2024

Each year, Immigration Equality directly represents hundreds of LGBTQ asylum seekers. But despite our reach, the need for lawyers among LGBTQ refugees remains high—and extremely urgent. To address this gap, we created self-help asylum guides—designed for people applying for asylum based on sexual orientation, gender identity, and/or HIV status.
Proposed funding deal will be deadly for LGBTQ+ asylum seekers >

by Bridget Crawford, Director of Law and Policy

• Jan 26, 2024

Congress is on a path to enacting the most radical changes to U.S. immigration law in decades. If passed, people escaping persecution will be denied safe haven at our very doorstep, and left to fight for their lives abroad—a fight many will lose.
LGBTQ Groups to Congress and President Biden: Don’t Sell Out LGBTQ Asylum Seekers >

by Immigration Equality

• Dec 24, 2023

A group of Senators, with the support of the White House, is negotiating a deal to pass funding for Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan in exchange for extreme, permanent changes to U.S. immigration and asylum law that would harm LGBTQ refugees.
Protecting undocumented immigrants and Dreamers is a queer rights issue >

by Aaron C. Morris, Executive Director

• Sep 22, 2023

Originally published in Openly on September 22, 2023. In 2012, an undocumented immigrant from Indonesia named Rio Djiwandana began his studies at Georgetown University. During his first semester, he enrolled in the...