LGBTQ+ migrants detained in U.S. immigration facilities face harassment, physical abuse and isolation, raising alarm among human rights advocates. Reports obtained by EL PAÍS highlight how systemic policies, particularly those implemented under former President Donald Trump, have exacerbated the risks for transgender and queer individuals in detention centers.
Juan Girón, a Nicaraguan migrant held at the Krome Detention Center in Miami, described enduring repeated verbal abuse from other detainees who call him “faggot” and “queer.” Girón also recounted physical threats and harassment, forcing him to take antidepressants and sleep on the bottom bunk for safety. His friend Kimberly, a trans woman from Colombia, shared that she had been beaten by police before her detention, suffering broken ribs and a punctured lung, underscoring the ongoing violence migrants face even before entering U.S. custody.
The abuse is not limited to fellow detainees. Andry Hernández Romero, a Venezuelan stylist previously held at Otay Mesa in San Diego, reported being constantly mocked for his gender expression and assaulted by guards. “At all times, a person’s sexual orientation is a focal point in a detention center,” he told EL PAÍS. Many LGBTQ+ migrants are forced into facilities that do not match their gender identity, increasing their vulnerability.
Trump-era policies have reinforced these dangers. Executive orders eliminated references to “gender ideology,” mandated housing based on sex assigned at birth, and revoked protections for transgender detainees. Bridget Crawford, director of law and policy at Immigration Equality, said to EL PAÍS: “With the rapid expansion of immigration detention centers and the elimination of oversight mechanisms under the Trump administration, this dangerous system is worsening exponentially.”
Advocates report a rise in calls from detention centers describing sexual assaults, unsanitary conditions, isolation, medical neglect and obstacles in accessing legal counsel. Many asylum cases for LGBTQ+ migrants have been denied, often resulting in deportations to countries where individuals face life-threatening risks. For example, Shakira Galíndez, a Venezuelan trans woman in New York, faces deportation to a country where her gender identity puts her at severe risk of harm.
Access to legal representation remains limited, particularly for migrants without financial resources. Couples like Andrei Ushakov and Aleksandr Skitsan, fleeing Russia, have been separated in detention for months, allowed only minimal communication and restricted medical care. Advocates emphasize that such treatment constitutes systemic discrimination. Yonatan Matheus of América Diversa told EL PAÍS: “These practices should not be understood as isolated incidents, but as part of a system that reproduces exclusion, punishment and dehumanization towards those seeking protection.”
Human rights organizations warn that without oversight, the U.S. detention system continues to endanger LGBTQ+ migrants, with abuse ranging from verbal harassment to life-threatening neglect. Advocates call for urgent reforms to ensure safety, access to justice and protection of vulnerable communities in immigration detention.
