Report documents abuse of LGBTQ asylum seekers in ICE custody
Report documents abuse of LGBTQ asylum seekers in ICE custody
Tag Archives: ICE
AIDS Memorial Quilt, Howard Cruse, Jimmy Wales, Gateway Drugs, Pete Buttigieg, Knives Out, Ostrich Eggs: HOT LINKS
AIDS Memorial Quilt, Howard Cruse, Jimmy Wales, Gateway Drugs, Pete Buttigieg, Knives Out, Ostrich Eggs: HOT LINKS
WHAT HE KNEW. Trump knew of whistleblower complaint when he released aid to Ukraine: “Lawyers from the White House counsel’s office told Mr. Trump in late August about the complaint, explaining that they were trying to determine whether they were legally required to give it to Congress, the people said.”
RIP. Groundbreaking cartoonish Howard Cruse: “Thanks to Cruse’s big-hearted art, readers have received a big scope vision of gay life in the latter half of the 20th century.”
SEX PIG? Or a fame whore?
RIP. 35-year-old Taiwanese Canadian model-actor Godfrey Gao dies after collapsing on set. “Godfrey collapsed on set while participating in a physical challenge and multiple reports state that he suffered a heart attack, though this has not yet been officially confirmed.”
BREAD & BUTTER. Trump made sad impeachment jokes at Thanksgiving turkey pardoning event.
NAMES PROJECT. AIDS Memorial Quit is getting permanent home: “The quilt will be moved from Atlanta to the National AIDS Memorial in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park for long-term preservation and educational purposes, while related archival collections will be under the care of the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress in Washington.”
YOU CAN’T MAKE THIS UP. The Department of Homeland Security created a fake university, enticed foreign born students to enroll in it, then had ICE officials arrest and deport them. “A total of about 250 students have now been arrested since January on immigration violations by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) as part of a sting operation by federal agents who enticed foreign-born students, mostly from India, to attend the school that marketed itself as offering graduate programs in technology and computer studies, according to ICE officials.”
GATEWAY DRUG. Joe Biden backtracks on marijuana remarks: “‘I don’t think it is a gateway drug. There’s no evidence I’ve seen to suggest that.’ … Biden said marijuana should be ‘totally decriminalized,’ and that anyone convicted for using the drug should have their criminal record “wiped totally clean, completely clean.”
JIMMY WALES. Wikipedia founder says Twitter should ban Trump: “A lot of stuff he says would not violate the terms of service of Twitter — he’s a blowhard and he says false things,” said Wales. “But he’s attacked people in ways that other people couldn’t get away with. I mean they’ve made it very clear that they are applying the rules differently.”
2020. Pete Buttigieg to return donations from Brett Kavanaugh’s lawyers: “Buttigieg’s campaign received $7,200 from Alexandra Walsh – $3,150 of which had already been returned because it exceeded limits – and attended a fundraiser in July that was co-hosted by the Washington lawyer. Buttigieg also received $2,800 from Beth Wilkinson, Walsh’s law partner, who also represented Kavanaugh. When asked by the Guardian about the donations, the campaign said it had overlooked the lawyers’ role in the Kavanaugh confirmation and had made a mistake in accepting the donations.”
REVIEW OF THE DAY. Breaking Banter reviews Knives Out.
COOKING LESSON OF THE DAY. Ostrich eggs.
HUMP DAY HAIRY. Kenny Brain and Patrick Augustus.
The post AIDS Memorial Quilt, Howard Cruse, Jimmy Wales, Gateway Drugs, Pete Buttigieg, Knives Out, Ostrich Eggs: HOT LINKS appeared first on Towleroad Gay News.
HRC Releases Annual Report on Epidemic of Anti-Transgender Violence
HRC Releases Annual Report on Epidemic of Anti-Transgender Violence
HRC Foundation released A National Epidemic: Fatal Anti-Transgender Violence in the United States in 2019, a distressing report honoring the at least 22 transgender people and gender non-conforming people killed in 2019 and detailing the contributing factors that lead to this tragic violence. The report comes two days ahead of Transgender Day of Remembrance, which, this year, marks the 20th annual commemoration of transgender people killed during the preceding year.
“Transgender women of color are living in crisis, especially Black transgender women,” said HRC President Alphonso David. “While the details of the cases documented in this report differ, the toxic intersection of racism, sexism, transphobia and easy access to guns conspire to deny so many members of the transgender and gender non-conforming community access to housing, employment and other necessities to survive and thrive. Every one of these lives cut tragically short reinforces the urgent need for action on all fronts to end this epidemic — from lawmakers and law enforcement, to the media and our communities.”
A National Epidemic:Fatal Anti-Transgender Violence in the United States in 2019 explores many of the factors that can contribute to or facilitate fatal violence. In many instances, systemic discrimination at the intersection of gender identity and race lead to significant barriers to employment and housing. This pushes many transgender and gender non-conforming people into underground economies, including sex work, to survive and into circumstances where they may be more likely to encounter violence.
The report also calls for the expansion of community-based resources and programs to address the epidemic. Earlier this year, HRC announced it is significantly expanding its work dedicated to justice for the transgender community. The organization will advance new initiatives working alongside community advocates to focus on economic empowerment; capacity-building programs; targeted task forces in communities hardest hit by the epidemic of anti-trans violence; and expanded public education campaigns.
There are a number of actions outlined in the report that lawmakers can take to address the violence, including passing non-discrimination protections; enhancing law enforcement response and training; improving data collection and reporting; reforming laws that have the impact of criminalizing marginalized communities and undermining public health; and adopting common-sense gun violence protections.
This year’s annual report found that since the start of the year, at least 22 transgender and gender non-conforming people have been killed in the U.S., all but one were Black. Since January 2013, HRC has documented more than 150 transgender and gender non-conforming people who were victims of fatal violence; at least 127 were transgender and gender non-conforming people of color. Nearly nine in every 10 victims were transgender women and 58 percent of all domestic deaths occurred in the U.S. South. These disturbing numbers likely underreport deadly violence targeting transgender and gender non-confirming people, who may not be properly identified as transgender or gender non-conforming.
In addition to the 22 transgender and gender non-conforming people killed by fatal violence, the report also profiles two other cases of transgender women, Johana ‘Joa’ Medina and Layleen Polanco, whose deaths remain under investigation. Both were likely impacted by circumstances fostered by hate, indifference and dehumanization. Medina, 25, died at a hospital in El Paso, Texas, just hours after being released from ICE custody. She suffered severe health complications that went untreated while she was in detention, according to Diversidad Sin Fronteras. Her family filed a wrongful death and personal injury claim against ICE and the Department of Homeland Security. Polanco, 27, was found dead in solitary confinement at Rikers Island on June 7. Her family says authorities knew she had epilepsy and failed to provide her proper treatment despite her condition.
The report comes just days after the Federal Bureau of Investigation released 2018’s hate crimes data, which found an alarming 34 percent increase in violent hate-based attacks on transgender people between 2017 and 2018.
Last week, HRC commemorated the annual Transgender Awareness Week, which is dedicated to illuminating both the progress and unfinished work in the fight for transgender equality. Throughout the week, HRC featured several transgender activists on the frontlines of change across the country, including Kiara St. James and Marissa Miller. On Wednesday, transgender people and their allies will gather in communities across the country to mark Transgender Day of Remembrance.
For more information on the Human Rights Campaign’s work on transgender equality, visit: www.hrc.org/explore/
#AM_Equality Tipsheet: November 5, 2019
#AM_Equality Tipsheet: November 5, 2019
IT’S ELECTION DAY — AND HRC PRESIDENT ALPHONSO DAVID (@AlphonsoDavid) HIT THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL FOR VA LEGISLATIVE CANDIDATES: David joined EMILY’s List President Stephanie Schriock, Congresswoman Jennifer Wexton, Delegate Danica Roem and other pro-equality candidates on the trail over the weekend. If you have elections in your state, get the 411 on your polling place, ID needs and more from hrc.org/vote.
- What’s at stake? Flipping seats in Virginia to pro-equality candidates will pave the way to passing non-discrimination protections for LGBTQ people in the commonwealth. More from Mother Jones.
- Read up on Danica Roem’s race to defeat an anti-LGBTQ challenger from The Daily Beast.
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Virginia residents, wake up! Today is the day to elect a pro-equality majority to your state legislature. #VALeg t.co/qylBC7pPYk
— Human Rights Campaign (@HRC) November 5, 2019
ICE IGNORES FEDERAL COURT RULING, CONTINUES HOLDING GAY ASYLUM SEEKER “INDEFINITELY”: Garcia Portillo was separated from his partner when he entered the U.S., and is being denied parole — despite a federal court ruling that ICE must stop issuing such denials. More from Advocate.
TUESDAY TWEET, EVERYONE’S FAVORITE SAME-SEX PENGUIN COUPLE ADOPT SECOND EGG: After Sphen and Magic of the Sea Life Sydney Aquarium hatched their beautiful daughter Sphengic, the aquarium announced that the happy couple has adopted a second egg! More from Pink News.
Gay penguin ‘power couple’ have adopted another egg together after successfully hatching their first chick t.co/FFiDutj57i
— PinkNews (@PinkNews) November 4, 2019
SUPREME COURT JUSTICES MEET WITH ANTI-LGBTQ HATE GROUP WHILE DECIDING IF LGBTQ PEOPLE CAN BE DISCRIMINATED AGAINST IN THE WORKPLACE: Justices Brett Kavanaugh and Samuel Alito met with Brian Brown, a notorious hate leader who cofounded the National Organization for (unequal) Marriage and who now spreads his brand of anti-LGBTQ bigotry abroad as president of the World Congress of (straight and cisgender) Families. More from Pink News.
KENTUCKY WOMAN SPEAKS OUT ABOUT ANTI-LGBTQ BULLYING, SUICIDE AFTER HER TRANSGENDER HUSBAND’S DEATH: More from WPSD.
GET CULTURED – Entertainment, arts and sports news!
DAYTIME EMMYS ISSUE NEW POLICIES REGARDING GENDERED CATEGORIES: They encourage performers to choose award categories that best fit their gender identity and expression, and remove gender from the youth categories — a major step toward making award shows more inclusive for ALL actors. More from Los Angeles Blade.
SCULPTURE DEDICATED TO TRANSGENDER COMMUNITY UNVEILED IN TRIBECA PARK IN MANHATTAN: The sculpture, named “Dandara,” after a trans woman who was murdered in Brazil, will be on display until May 24, 2020. More from ABC 7 NY.
#Repost @fomofeed with @get_repost ・・・ WHAT: DREAM MACHINE-DANDARA, 2017. “This is a monument to the dreamers, the ones who live and die making the impossible happen.”-Rubem Robierb �� :@v_andthecity . WHO: Rubem Robierb (@rubemrobierbart) . WHERE: Tribeca Park, 8 Beach Street, New York, NY . FEED INSPIRATION: #rubemrobierb #dreammachineart . . . . #FOMOfeed #NYC #NewYorkCity #immersive #immersiveart #nycart #publicart #art #wings #tribecapark @taglialatellagalleries
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GLOBAL EQUALITY NEWS
IRELAND HEALTH MINISTER ANNOUNCES SOME LGBTQ PARENTS CAN REGISTER BOTH NAMES ON CHILD’S BIRTH CERTIFICATE STARTING IN MAY: More from Pink News.
GERMAN HEALTH MINISTER UNVEILS DRAFT LAW TO PROTECT LGBTQ YOUTH FROM SO-CALLED “CONVERSION THERAPY”: More from DW.
FELIZ ORGULLO! PRIDE MARCH IN BUENOS AIRES CELEBRATES COMMUNITY, CALLS FOR AN END TO HATE CRIMES: More from Buenos Aires Times.
- Más de 20 organizaciones celebran la marcha del orgullo en Buenos Aires: Más de Infobae.
READING RAINBOW – Bookmark now to read on your lunch break!
Law 360 profiles David Brown, legal director for the Transgender Legal Defense and Education Fund (@TLDEF)
Have news? Send us your news and tips at [email protected]. Click here to subscribe to #AM_Equality and follow @HRC for all the latest news. Thanks for reading!
www.hrc.org/blog/am-equality-tipsheet-november-5-2019?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss-feed
Gay man seeking asylum detained and denied release by ICE
Gay man seeking asylum detained and denied release by ICE
A gay Honduran man held in custody by Immigration and Customs Enforcement for seven months has been denied release despite legal challenges to his imprisonment.
Lawyers for Darwin Garcia Portillo claim his detention violates a federal court order, according to reports by Out. Portillo, his boyfriend Oscar Juarez Hernandez, and Portillo’s younger brother all fled Honduras to avoid violent persecution of queer people there. ICE detained the group in March as they crossed the border in San Diego. Officers for the immigration force separated the group, sending them to different detention facilities. A judge later granted Hernandez’s release, as well as legitimate asylum. He’s now taken up residency in Colorado with a family that has agreed to sponsor all three men for citizenship.
Portillo and his younger brother, however, remain in custody. This comes amid a course change by the Trump Administration which has restored procedures for asylum seekers. The Administration had previously ordered anyone trying to cross the border should be locked up, even if they had a right to do so under US and international law. Furthermore, U.S. District Judge James Boasberg ruled in September that ICE should consider paroling detainees on a case-by-case basis.
Related: Did ICE destroy evidence of wrongdoing in the death of a transgender woman?
Besides his separation from his boyfriend, Portillo’s detention also poses an obstacle for his younger brother, who is a minor. Federal policy states that minors must be claimed by a legal guardian to be released from ICE custody. Portillo is currently being held in Louisiana, while his younger brother is imprisoned in Texas.
“He’s been denied parole, with no justification,” David Bennion, Portillo’s lawyer, told ABC News. “Clearly he’s not a flight risk. He has a very strong network of support, which is where he’ll go. He’ll join his life partner, who already has asylum.”
Bennion also says that Portillo has been targeted by anti-LGBTQ gangs in his holding facility. “Darwin has been targeted by other detainees who don’t like being locked up with gay people,” he added. “Darwin, and other LGBT detainees, they can’t go to the bathroom by themselves; they have to take showers together to protect themselves, so they won’t get beaten or raped.” Bennion and Portillo’s sponsorship family have also expressed fears of discrimination in court, as Louisiana has a long history of staunch anti-queer legislation and public attitudes.
Gay Couple Slammed for ICE, Mexican Stereotype Halloween Costumes
Gay Couple Slammed for ICE, Mexican Stereotype Halloween Costumes
The Canadian couple sparked allegations of racism on social media.
www.advocate.com/people/2019/10/28/gay-couple-slammed-ice-mexican-stereotype-halloween-costumes
GLAAD calls on media to keep spotlight on most vulnerable immigrants, including transgender asylum seekers
GLAAD calls on media to keep spotlight on most vulnerable immigrants, including transgender asylum seekers
Diversidad Sin Fronteras
According to news reports in CNN and BuzzFeed, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency within the Trump Administration may have deleted critical surveillance video that would have helped tell the story of the last few days of Roxsána Hernández, a transgender Honduran woman and asylum seeker who died in ICE custody. Roxsána’s attorneys argue that various transfers to different facilities without providing HIV treatment or taking note of her deterioration contributed to her death. Video footage was a vital key that would have helped with the investigation.
“Her need for medical attention was obvious, it was documented, and it was life threatening, and the records we have to date indicate that ICE officials knew those three things and decided to transfer her,” said Andrew Free, an attorney representing the family, to BuzzFeed News. “If DHS cannot be trusted to play by the rules, both before and after a detained migrant’s death based on these records, how can DHS be trusted to continue imprisoning migrants at all?”
“The LGBTQ community and other communities demand transparency from government entities that are funded by our tax dollars. We should never punish immigrants seeking safety, including LGBTQ asylum seekers, by housing them in unsafe conditions or keeping critical medical treatment from them,” said Monica Trasandes, Director of Spanish Language and Latinx media Representation for GLAAD. “The media is necessary to bring awareness and accountability when it is lacking from the government.”
This story offers a vivid and heartbreaking account of what Roxsána and other transgender women like her face while fleeing to the United States and away from unsafe living conditions. LGBTQ activists like GLAAD have argued that far too many already vulnerable people are being unnecessarily placed in dangerous situations as they wait for their hearings.
October 25, 2019
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Did ICE destroy evidence of wrongdoing in the death of a transgender woman?
Did ICE destroy evidence of wrongdoing in the death of a transgender woman?
Officials for ICE deleted pivotal and sensitive surveillance footage of Roxsana Hernández, a transgender Honduran woman who died while in custody. Critics say the move could be an attempt to derail a wrongful death lawsuit.
Hernández’s case remains under review with the Transgender Law Center. Andrew Free, a lawyer working with the TLC on the case, hotly criticized ICE for erasing the footage. “ICE and CoreCivic have consistently denied wrongdoing and stated that they in effect provided Roxsana with all the health care she needed,” BuzzFeed News reports. “The video would be essential and frankly irreplaceable evidence of whether that was true.”
ICE refuses to comment on the allegations, other than to say that surveillance footage is routinely deleted after 90 days. The family of Hernández had requested the footage as part of their own investigation well within the 90-day limit. Their request was ignored.
Related: Trump is trying to tear apart this gay family because one of them is an immigrant
Hernández died of complications from AIDS while in a detention facility operated by CoreCivic, a private security firm that manages the facility at Cibola, just outside Albuquerque. CoreCivic is one of the largest private prison companies in the country. The family of Hernández claims she did not receive proper treatment after an internal investigation by ICE found no evidence that she ever received medication for her HIV+ status. ICE rules state that HIV+ detainees must receive a 30-day supply of antiretroviral medication. Furthermore, an autopsy conducted after her death revealed signs of abuse.
Philip Farabaugh, deputy medical director for ICE Health Service Corps, points out that despite ICE’s policy on HIV+ detainees, administering proper medication requires time and a medical examination. “Hernandez was in transit for most of her brief time with ICE. When she arrived at Cibola, such evaluation could not take place in such a short window of time prior to her transfer to the hospital,” Farabaugh said. “HIV medications are not without risks, and you don’t initiate them when other complex, life-threatening medical conditions are at hand.”
Hernández came to the United States to seek asylum from hostility in Honduras against transgender people. “They kill trans people in Honduras. I’m scared of that,” she said while in transit to the US. Hernández also claimed that a brutal gang rape in Honduras prompted her to come to the US.
Following her death, Hernández’s family began to pursue a wrongful death lawsuit against ICE, claiming she did not receive proper care. “Her need for medical attention was obvious, it was documented, and it was life-threatening, and the records we have to date indicate that ICE officials knew those three things and decided to transfer her,” Andrew Free says. “If DHS cannot be trusted to play by the rules, both before and after a detained migrant’s death based on these records, how can DHS be trusted to continue imprisoning migrants at all?”
