Asylum is a Fundamental Human Right: Leading LGBTQ Groups Unite Against Latest Assault on Vulnerable Refugees
by Bridget Crawford
Posted:
The Biden administration issued a new rule that will prevent virtually all asylum seekers, including vulnerable LGBTQ and HIV-positive refugees, who enter the United States between ports of entry from qualifying for asylum.
Immigration Equality and Oasis Legal Services, alongside a coalition of leading LGBTQ-focused organizations, submitted a public comment voicing strong opposition to the rule and urged the administration to rescind it in its entirety. They wrote:
“For queer and trans refugees, asylum is a critical lifeline. LGBTQ and HIV-positive people are persecuted around the globe for being who they are.
“Asylum seekers do not want to cross the border with traffickers, or through deadly corridors. But they often have no other choice in order to keep themselves safe. This reality is why the Immigration and Nationality Act preserves the right to seek asylum regardless of manner of entry.
“Punishing the most vulnerable refugees – LGBTQ and HIV-positive, Black and Indigenous people, people with disabilities or limited literacy, poor people without access to smart phones and high-speed internet … – undermines the fundamental right to asylum, violating the letter and spirit of the law.”
The 16 organizations in the coalition include: Immigration Equality, Oasis Legal Services, The Human Rights Campaign, Lambda Legal, National Center for Lesbian Rights, National LGBTQ Task Force Action Fund, The Black LGBTQIA+ Migrant Project, the Border Butterflies Project, the Council for Global Equality, Equality California, Familia: Trans Queer Liberation Movement, National Immigrant Justice Center, Lawyers for Good Government, Rainbow Railroad, The Transgender Law Center, and Young Center for Immigrant Children’s Rights.