More than 40 Democrats from the House of Representatives demanded Tuesday the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Service (ICE) freedom for all transgender immigrants in detention centers.
"We write to demand the release of all transgender people currently detained by ICE," says a letter prepared by Illinois Democratic Representative Mike Quigley and addressed to the interim secretary of National Security, Chad Wolf, and the interim director of ICE, Matthew Albence
Lawmakers argue that the Donald Trump government has not followed the guidelines to protect this sector in prisons for immigrants, where they face more vulnerable conditions than the rest.
“Transgender migrants and asylum seekers are particularly vulnerable to sexual harassment, isolation, physical aggression and medical malpractice. These inhuman conditions and systematic abuses are evidenced in innumerable reports and reports of people formally detained, ”the document continues.
https://twitter.com/RepMikeQuigley/status/1217208179819536384
Lawmakers also cite research articles from organizations such as the Human Rights Campaign, Amnesty International and the United States Center for Progress to argue that, due to their gender identity, transgender migrants are more likely to face "widespread use" of solitary isolation "and" 97 times more likely to be victims of sexual abuse ”compared to the rest of the detainees.
Transgender people represent 0.1% of the detained population. However, 12% of reports of sexual assault come from detainees with this identification, according to 2019 data.
According to the letter, ICE is "legally obligated to immediately release all transgender people currently in their custody" because they have not met the established standards.
Quigley says the claim has a legal basis, as the agency's fiscal year 2020 report includes standards of service to this sector that have not been met. These include the quality of medical care, the training of personnel to be more sensitive to transgender detainees and the creation of safe units where they are not afraid of being targeted by other detainees.
Fleeing gender violence
According to ICE, until this January 11 there were 93 self-identified persons as transgender in their custody, in 29 different facilities in the country. A spokeswoman told The Washington Examiner that the decision on where transgender immigrants are housed while deciding their asylum cases is taken on a case-by-case basis, depending on factors such as their ties to the community, personal well-being and security.
Two transgender women travel through Mexico to the United States with a migrant caravan in November 2018. Photo: (AP).
In August 2019, more than 30 Democratic congressmen sent a letter to ICE expressing concern about the agency's treatment of transgender detainees and demanding that their asylum applications be taken more seriously.
The petition came after two transgender women died in the agency's custody.
The letter emphasized that ICE should especially consider asylum applications from the 'Northern Triangle' countries of El Salvador, Honduras and Guatemala, where "violence against the transgender community occurs at alarming rates."
According to a study conducted by the UN Refugee Agency, 88% of LGBTQ asylum seekers fleeing the Northern Triangle reported having suffered sexual and gender-based violence in their countries of origin.
Read also:
Homosexual and transgender migrants report abuse and harassment at ICE center in New Mexico
This transgender migrant suffered violence and fled Honduras. A judge granted her asylum but ICE does not release her
