Harsh immigration policies disproportionately endanger LGBTQ+ asylum seekers already fleeing persecution in their home countries. Many face violence, discrimination, and even death penalties based on their sexual orientation or gender identity. Restrictive border measures and asylum bans trap Queer people in perilous transit countries where they are vulnerable to further abuse, kidnapping, and sexual assault.
The asylum process itself often lacks cultural sensitivity, forcing individuals to “prove” their identity through demeaning interrogations. Detention centers can be particularly brutal, with reports of harassment, denial of medical care, and physical abuse. LGBTQ+ people are 97 times more likely to be sexually assaulted in detention camps than their cis-het counterparts.
Cruel and insensitive policies not only deny a safe haven but also inflict profound psychological trauma, exacerbating the suffering of those seeking fundamental human rights, rights that are innate and inalienable, not something that needs to be earned. This is a human rights issue and a social ethics issue that people of faith need to address.
