House Democrats plan to call on a key immigration agency to release all transgender people who are currently being detained, arguing that the U.S. has failed to follow guidelines to protect individuals who face more perilous conditions in detention than other migrants.
"We write to demand the release of all transgender people currently detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)," the letter to ICE is expected to say, according to an early copy obtained by The Hill.
"Transgender migrants and asylum seekers are particularly vulnerable to sexual harassment, solitary confinement, physical assault, and medical neglect. These inhumane conditions and systematic abuses are evidenced in countless reports and accounts by formally detained people," continues the letter, which will be addressed to acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf and acting ICE Director Matthew Albence.
I can definitely believe that transgender detainees are at higher risk than others. And that’s because many of those from Latin American countries are actually very bigoted against any kind of non-traditional gender expression.