By Uchechukwu Onwa, QDEP’s Organizing Director-uchechukwu@qdep.org / February 9th, 2021.
On Thursday, February 4th, 2021 president Joe Biden, in his foreign policy speech, stated that he had signed a presidential memorandum, intended to “reinvigorate our leadership on the LGBTQI issues and do it internationally”. He explicitly mentioned protecting LGBTQ+ refugees and asylum seekers. “We’ll ensure diplomacy and foreign assistants are working to promote the rights of those individuals included by combatting criminalization and protecting the LGBTQ refugees and asylum seekers,” he said.
We are taking a pause to celebrate this small win, because this would not have been possible without the fight that many advocates have been fighting. We had a protest in November 2020 where we took to the street of New York to demand protection for LGBTQ+ immigrants and asylum seekers. Immediately after the presidential inauguration, we did a Virtual Rally reminding the Biden administration that he needs to protect queer and trans immigrant and asylum seekers. This win is possible because of our organizing effort.
In addition, the president also said he approved an executive order to begin the process of raising the maximum number of refugees allowed into the U.S. every year to 125,000, beginning in the fiscal year 2022, which begins on Oct. 1. Former President Donald Trump had slashed the total number to 15,000, its lowest level in modern times.
Though there is no clear plan yet on how the president wants to protect LGBTQ+ refugees and asylum seekers,we are sending him our demands:
- Ending detention for ALL, including Black, queer, and trans immigrants
- Defunding the police and begin the transition away from the prison industrial complex
- Decriminalizing border crossing and abolish ICE
- Empowering LGBTQ+ immigrants through universal health care and education reform
- Changing and making smoother the asylum process for LGBTQ+ migrants in the recently announced US Citizenship Act of 2021 by increasing funding to reduce the asylum backlog and provide legal representation
- #FreeThemAll from ICE facilities as a response to COVID-19 and its threat to people who are currently incarcerated
- Allocating resources to LGBTQ+ activist across the globe to provide rapid response to the needs of LGBTQ+ people around the world
- Establishing a relief fund for and distribute resources to LGBTQ+ migrants and asylum seekers
Our communities have been fighting and will continue to fight until we restore the legacy of Lady Liberty, who promises “freedom and liberty to all who enter the U.S”. We are going to hold the Biden administration accountable to their words.
As a Black, gay immigrant who experienced dehumanizing conditions in immigration detention including life-threatening events as a result of being denied medical treatments, mental and emotional anguish leading to suicidal thought, and no subsequent access to mental health services, I cannot overstate the importance I place on my role in advocating for Black queer and trans migrants’ lives. As someone with the lived experience, I strive to gradually give my community a voice because I believe that people who are directly impacted by an issue are in the best position to create change.
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