LGBTQ immigrants who cross the southern border from Mexico into the United States may not be held in detention under new legislation being proposed by a group of Democratic lawmakers in both the House and Senate.
The extraordinary proposals are aimed at 'setting minimum standards' for detention facilities where thousands of illegal aliens are already being kept as they await processing.
The legislation, which is being introduced by Democrats Washington Representative Pramila Jayapal and New Jersey Senator Cory Booker, is being framed as 'an attempt to restore humanity and dignity to the immigration system.'
Although the idea is to relieve some of the pressure in numbers waiting in an already overloaded immigration system, it would mean that anyone claiming to be a 'vulnerable person' would be able to avoid detention altogether and be free to go.
The bill also carries an extremely broad definition of what is considered to be a 'vulnerable person' and includes anyone under 21 or over 60, pregnant women, anyone identifying as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, or intersex (LGBTQ+), a victim or witness to a crime, and those with mental or physical illnesses or disabilities, to name but a few of the main categories.
Aliens who have a credible fear of persecution, 'limited English language proficiency,' those experiencing 'severe trauma,' and survivors of 'torture or gender-based violence' would also meet the definition of a 'vulnerable person'. In such cases, the DHS would review each case individually before deciding to detain.
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