Persecuted and marginalized: Black LGBTQ immigrants face unique challenges

Cassie Chew for the ABA Journal writes about a oft-forgotten group of  immigrants.  Tsion Gurmu, legal director for the Black Alliance for Just Immigration, has started traveling to Mexican cities to advise the growing number of immigrants from African countries on how they might navigate new immigration policies making it harder for them to pursue asylum.  Thousands of Black immigrants have been stranded after precarious journeys through a half dozen or more countries to reach the U.S.-Mexico border.

The article discusses efforts to create welcoming spaces for Black immigrants. The Black LGBTQIA+ Migration Project  highlights legal obstacles Black LGBT immigrants face and seeks to organize advocacy on their behalf. One of their biggest challenges has been keeping Black immigrants with LGBT claims out of detention.

KJ