Biden Administration Doubles Down on Policies Devastating to LGBTQ Refugees

New York, NY (October 3, 2024) — This week, the Biden Administration announced plans to update and expand its June 2024 proclamation and rule that effectively shuts down the the U.S.-Mexico border to asylum seekers, with limited exceptions, when the number of border encounters reaches certain levels.

In June, Immigration Equality denounced the regulation and, along with a coalition of 15 LGBTQ organizations, filed public comments opposing it, specifically pointing out how the ban will result in LGBTQ asylum seekers being sent back to brutal violence.  

Immigration Equality’s Director of Law and Policy, Bridget Crawford, issued the following statement:

“Immigration Equality strongly opposes the Biden/Harris administration’s decision to double down on its illegal and deadly asylum ban. The ban makes asylum out of reach for many refugees at the southern border, including LGBTQ people fleeing violent persecution without solving the real problems at the border.

“Instead of playing political games with asylum seekers’ lives, our leaders should embrace sensible and humane immigration policies that actually work. We all benefit when we have an orderly, fair, and efficient system that respects human rights. If the Biden/Harris administration truly supports LGBTQ rights, it will make sure it adopts policies that protect and defend the right to asylum rather than destroying it.”