October 17, 2019

Out: Elizabeth Warren and Tammy Baldwin Demand Trump Protect Trans Migrants

Senators Elizabeth Warren and Tammy Baldwin are calling on the Trump administration to protect transgender asylum seekers.

In a Thursday letter, Warren and Baldwin call on the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to “immediately reverse policies” that harm transgender migrants seeking refuge in the United States “and take swift action to protect [their] health and safety.” 

“While in detention, transgender migrants and asylum seekers are particularly vulnerable to sexual harassment, discrimination, and abuse,” they claim in a message addressed to Acting ICE Director Matthew Albence and Acting DHS Secretary Kevin McAleenan. “The United States should protect individuals fleeing persecution and targeted violence, including persecution based on gender identity or expression — not subject them to further harm.” 

The Senators further call attention to recent reports of “abuse and neglect of trans gender migrants and asylum seekers at the border and in U.S. custody” following the implementation of what’s known colloquially as the “Remain in Mexico” policy. Those guidelines, implemented in January, bar asylum seekers from enjoying shelter in the U.S. while their claims are processed.


Read the full article on the Out website here


By:  Nico Lang
Source: Out