Gay Salvadoran Asylum Seeker Denied Release Despite Having Credible Claim
Gabriel (A# 208-270-714) is a gay man from El Salvador who came to the United States after years of fearing that he would be attacked or killed if he dared to reveal his sexuality.
The epidemic levels of violence in El Salvador struck home for Gabriel when his older brother was murdered when he was just 22.
Repeatedly humiliated and shamed by accusations about his sexuality, and knowing that LGBT individuals face even greater danger than others in El Salvador, Gabriel suffered for years as a closeted gay man in a repressive society.
In June 2015, Gabriel crossed into the U.S. along the Texas-Mexico border, hoping to reach San Francisco, where he has gay and transgender friends and where he hoped to find a community where he could express his true identity without fear. Instead, he was arrested and transferred from Texas to a remote detention center in Georgia that’s run by an infamous for-profit prison company, far away from his chosen family who want to support him and testify in his case.
Then, on July 30, 2015, DHS’s own asylum office determined that Gabriel has a credible claim for asylum protection. However, ICE still refuses to release him, violating their own stated policies. If not released from detention in Georgia, Gabriel will be forced to go before a notorious judge who has a history of denying strong asylum cases of LGBTQ people.
Please sign this petition asking the Georgia ICE office to release Gabriel so that he has a fair chance to seek the asylum protection that he is entitled to.
ICE claims that it is detaining Gabriel because he recently crossed the border. But DHS’s own policies state that asylum seekers should be released from detention once they have shown a credible fear of persecution, just as Gabriel has already done.
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Dear Assistant Field Office Directors J.D. Thorp and Sean Ervin,
I’m writing in support of Gabriel H. (A# 208-270-714), a gay Salvadoran man currently detained at the Steward Detention center in Georgia. He is detained even though on July 30, 2015, DHS’s own asylum office determined that Gabriel has a credible claim for asylum protection.
The epidemic levels of violence in El Salvador struck home for Gabriel when his older brother was murdered when he was just 22. Repeatedly humiliated and shamed by accusations about his sexuality, and knowing that LGBT individuals face even greater danger than others in El Salvador, Gabriel suffered for years as a closeted gay man in a repressive society.
In June 2015, Gabriel crossed into the U.S. along the Texas-Mexico border, hoping to reach San Francisco, where he has transgender friends and where he hoped to find a community where he could express his true identity without fear. Instead, he was locked up by DHS and then transferred from Texas to a remote detention center in Georgia, far from those friends in California who would be able to support him and hoped to testify in his case.
DHS’s own policies state that asylum seekers should be released from detention once they have shown a credible fear that they will be persecuted if they are deported, just as Gabriel has already done. I urge you to use prosecutorial discretion to stop Gabriel’s deportation.
Thank you,
[Signature]
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Categories: Lost Cases