Immigration

The United States immigration system touches the lives of millions, including transgender people and their families coming from other countries. Transgender people come to the US for many reasons, including seeking safety from persecution, education and business opportunities, and for family and personal reasons. All of them are seeking a chance at a better life. Some transgender people come to the US through legal processes and possess documents that verify their acceptance into the US as immigrants, refugees or temporary guest workers. However, a significant number of transgender migrants and asylum seekers are unable to obtain legal protections and arrive in our nation without status documents. According to the Williams Institute, there are approximately 174,200 transgender  immigrants in the US.The actual number may be higher because many transgender people may be reluctant to identify themselves as transgender for a variety of reasons including fear of continuing violence or a gender identity that isn’t easily defined or categorized in the way we define gender in the USA. Among an already marginalized community, the 2011 National Discrimination Survey showed that undocumented transgender people face higher risks of discrimination and violence in employment, housing, health care, when seeking services, and even in their own home.

A4TE’s immigration work focuses on three distinct areas: 1) providing technical assistance to immigration attorneys and legal services regarding transgender matters; 2) working with federal agencies that administer and carry out asylum and refugee determinations as well as the border patrol and immigration detention systems; and 3) amplifying the policy needs of service providers, grassroots activists, and communities of transgender migrants across the country who seek legal protection and services for their communities.