LGBTQ Immigration: Contemporary Struggles Globally and in New York

The LGBTQ Policy Center is pleased to present an urgent discussion—featuring leading policymakers and advocates—about the impact of recent immigration policies on global LGBTQ migration, with a spotlight on New York.

For decades, the United States has recognized the threat, and reality, of state violence against LGBTQ people as a legitimate reason to grant asylum. However, recent policy changes at the federal level have called into question the country’s commitment to protecting the human rights of LGBTQ immigrants. For example, earlier this year, the Trump administration deported Andry Hernandez Romero, a gay makeup artist who came to the United States seeking asylum, to a maximum security prison in El Salvador. Recent increases in ICE presence at courthouses and on the streets has created an environment of fear that discourages LGBTQ immigrants from accessing the social services they need to survive. Human Rights Watch has documented worsening discrimination, harassment, and violence against LGBTQ people both at home and abroad.