Immigration Equality Condemns USCIS Policy Rolling Back Recognition of Trans Identities
CONTACT: Anto Chavez, Communications Manager
786-218-1413 | communications@immigrationequality.org
New York, NY (April 2, 2025) — Today, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) updated its policy guidance to revert to a binary recognition of sex, stripping transgender, nonbinary, and intersex people of the ability to self-select their correct gender on immigration documents. This change follows President Trump’s Executive Order and is a blatant attack on the dignity, safety, and rights of trans immigrants.
The new USCIS policy mandates that sex designations on immigration documents correspond only to what is recorded on an individual’s birth certificate. It eliminates the option for individuals to self-select their gender, overturning policies that had allowed for accurate representation on work permits, green cards, naturalization certificates, and other essential immigration documents. This follows similar restrictions on U.S. passports issued by the State Department, and it signals a broader federal effort to systematically deny recognition to transgender, nonbinary, and intersex people.
Bridget Crawford, Immigration Equality’s Director of Law and Policy, issued the following statement:
“This is a cruel and unnecessary policy that puts transgender, nonbinary, and intersex immigrants in danger. The U.S. government is now forcing people to carry identity documents that do not reflect who they are, opening them up to increased discrimination, harassment, and violence. This policy does not just impact individuals—it affects their ability to travel, work, access healthcare, and live their lives authentically.
By denying trans people the right to self-select their gender, the government is making it harder for them to exist safely and with dignity. This is not about ‘common sense’—it is about erasing an entire community from the legal landscape. Transgender, nonbinary, and intersex people have always existed, and they deserve to have their identities fully recognized and respected. We will continue to fight for the rights of our clients and for the reversal of this discriminatory policy.”
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For 30 years, Immigration Equality has promoted justice and equality for LGBTQ and HIV-positive immigrants, winning major victories in the courts and in Congress.
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