Statement on the U.S. Supreme Court’s Decision to Uphold Asylum Ban

InReach fully condemns the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to uphold the Trump administration’s dangerous asylum ban. This ruling represents a death sentence for thousands of persecuted people, including members of the LGBTQ+ community, at the southern border who are simply asking America to honor their basic human rights.

On September 11th, 2019, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled to temporarily lift a lower court’s block to allow for the Trump administration to begin denying asylum requests from people at all points along the southern border who have traveled through Mexico or another country without seeking protection there first. Under this policy, asylum seekers will now fail their initial screening (known as a “credible fear” interview) if they cannot show they already requested asylum in at least one country they traveled through. Asylum seekers who fail their “credible fear” interview will face fast-track deportation proceedings. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is continuing to challenge the Trump administration’s asylum policy in court.

This latest ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court effectively bars LGBTQ+ Central Americans who have fled extreme homophobia and transphobia in their home countries from seeking asylum in the U.S. It ignores the reality that Mexico and Guatemala remain unsafe places for LGBTQ+ people.