Thirty-five Democratic Congressional Representatives are pushing for the Department of Homeland Security to stop detaining lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender illegal immigrants.
In a letter to DHS Secretary Jeh Johnson, the members said detention “should almost never be used for vulnerable groups such as LGBT immigrants facing immigration proceedings.” Instead, they asked officials to use parole or other alternatives to ensure the safety of immigrants in the custody of Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Individuals who identify as LGBT are “extremely vulnerable to abuse, including sexual assault, while in custody, particularly transgender women housed in men’s detention facilities,” the 35 Democrats wrote.
Immigrants rights advocates in Orange County, Cali. are pleased with the news.
“You keep people in detention if they are a high risk,” said Lowenthal, whose district includes Garden Grove, Westminster, Los Alamitos and other Orange County communities. “The data now indicates not only are they the most vulnerable of the vulnerable, they don’t pose a danger to the community.”
However, opponents of illegal immigration don’t agree that LGBT immigrants should be treated differently.
“The bottom line is they chose to come here illegally. They shouldn’t be in our country. They are here breaking the law. If anybody has particular issues or difficulties, we should address it. But bottom line, they shouldn’t even be here,” said Betty Robinson, a Tustin resident and member of several conservative organizations, including the Claremont-based We the People Rising.
