In January, I traveled with four Fort Lewis College professors to Tijuana, Mexico, to learn more about the migrant caravans traveling from Central America to the United States.
As a queer-immigrant professor from the U.S.-Mexico border region, I had been following the stories of the LGBTQ members of the caravan with particular interest.
LGBTQ individuals are amongst the most vulnerable group within asylum-seekers. Recently, Camila Díaz Córdova, a transgender woman from El Salvador, was murdered in her country after the U.S. denied her asylum. She was deported in November of 2017, and died in February of 2019. Like Camila, there are thousands who have fled their home countries because governments do not protect them against homophobia, violent acts and hate crimes.
In November of 2018, about 80 people identifying as LGBTQ separated from the original caravan and were the first to arrive in Tijuana. They began traveling together to help protect each other from prejudice which surrounded them. Most of them were fleeing the Northern Triangle (Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras), which has some of the highest murder rates in the world. Gay and trans people are at particular risk in these countries.
Transgender people are, without a doubt, the most vulnerable group within the LGBTQ community. Not only have they suffered extreme violence in their countries of origin, but when they seek asylum in the U.S. they may face harassment or worse in U.S. Detention Centers. Roxsana Hernández Rodríguez was a transgender woman who fled Honduras looking for asylum in the U.S. She died in ICE custody last year. Her family claims she was physically abused and did not receive proper medical care.
During my stay in Tijuana, I met a young Honduran man who was trying to escape from gang violence in his country. During our discussion, I realized the man did not know how to identify in terms of his sexuality. He had never been afforded the opportunity to consider his own identity. He told me that he was attracted to men all his life, and that this was the reason why his life was in danger in Honduras. He mentioned specific instances in which he had been assaulted, verbally and physically, because of his gender expression. While telling his story, he cried and told me how he always had to “act tough and be less effeminate.” He was surprised that the attacks on his gender identity could be a reason for asylum. One of the last things he asked me before saying goodbye was if I had gay friends in the U.S. I answered: “Almost all of my friends are gay,” and he smiled.
Tijuana offers a sense of hope to many of these asylum-seekers. Several organizations are providing critical services like meals, legal counseling, child care, and medical assistance. One organization has moved beyond basic human needs however, and organized weddings for LGBTQ couples – a moment of joy in the midst of so much trauma.
When we talk about asylum seekers, we should be aware of the different layers of oppression which people face. It is part of our responsibility as U.S. citizens to help remove barriers that prevent all asylum seekers from accessing their basic legal right to security and safety.
Even more urgent is to help highly vulnerable populations like LGBTQ individuals to ask for asylum and be afforded a safe place to stay during the potentially lengthy waits for their immigration hearings. To help, contact groups like Raices, Comcavis Trans Association, and Diversidad Sin Fronteras that advocate specifically for LGBTQ and migrant populations. We all have the right to live a dignified life free of violence.
Carolina Alonso is an assistant professor of Borders and Languages in the Sociology Department and an affiliated professor in the Gender and Sexuality Studies program at Fort Lewis College. Originally from the Rio Grande Valley–Tamaulipas border region, she lives in Durango.
