Immigration Equality and Lambda Legal to Challenge Cruel New Asylum Ban in Court
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 10, 2020
Contact:
Kristen Thompson, Immigration Equality
(310) 780-0736 | kthompson@immigrationequality.org
Graciela Gonzales, Lambda Legal
(312) 545-8140 | ggonzalez@lambdalegal.org
“This rule flies in the face of America’s historic ideal of being the land for those who yearn to breathe free.”
DECEMBER 10, 2020 (WASHINGTON, D.C.) – Today, Trump’s Department of Homeland Security and Department of Justice announced they will publish a rule tomorrow that eviscerates the United States asylum system. The ban will make it virtually impossible for LGBTQ people and those living with HIV who fled persecution in their countries of origin to seek asylum in the U.S. Likewise, it almost entirely bans women who make gender-based claims and victims of non-state violence from obtaining asylum.
Immigration Equality Executive Director Aaron C. Morris and Lambda Legal CEO Kevin Jennings responded with the following statement:
“The depth of this Trump administration’s cruelty toward some of the most vulnerable people in the world truly knows no bounds. In many other countries LGBTQ people and those living with HIV face unimaginable discrimination, abuse, and violence at every turn. The United States has long held itself out as a beacon of hope for these individuals, many of whom risk their lives to seek asylum here.
“Assuming that this rule resembles the proposed rule published in June of this year, we plan to sue. This rule flies in the face of America’s historic ideal of being the land for those who yearn to breathe free. And if this government will not uphold our country’s longstanding value of compassion for the oppressed, we will.
“Even though the Trump administration’s days are waning, it is critical to stop this rule in its tracks. Every day an asylum seeker spends in immigration detention or waiting at the U.S.-Mexico border, their health and lives are in danger. While we are optimistic that a Biden administration would work with us to undo this rule, even three months of an asylum ban could inflict irreversible damage on LGBTQ and HIV-positive asylum seekers desperate for a chance at safe haven in the U.S.”
Kramer Levin Naftalis & Frankel LLP is acting as pro bono co-counsel on the case.
Read Immigration Equality’s comments opposing the proposed rule here, and Lambda Legal’s comments here.
Read the Trump administration’s soon to be published rule here.
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Immigration Equality is the nation’s leading LGBTQ immigrant rights organization. We represent and advocate for people from around the world fleeing violence, abuse, and persecution because of their sexual orientation, gender identity, or HIV status.
Lambda Legal is a national organization committed to achieving full recognition of the civil rights of lesbians, gay men, bisexuals, transgender people, and everyone living with HIV through impact litigation, education, and public policy work.