newYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
Kissing almost cost me my life in 2019. When he left for work, it just pecked my boyfriend’s lips. But as a gay man living in Guatemala City, Guatemala, that little display of affection caught the police’s attention, and they took me down. I was tied up and beaten. Their threat forced me to flee.
Fortunately, I was able to defect to the United States. Today, three years later, I am still in asylum proceedings, but I am proud to work as a Client Services Manager for Lawyers for Good Government’s Project Corazon in South Texas, helping other immigrants seeking safety in the United States. I am supporting. My boyfriend (now her husband) was able to join me and works as her graphic designer. Starting over wasn’t easy, but I’m grateful to be able to live and love in safety.
But under the new asylum rules proposed by President Joe Biden, this was not possible. The administration has announced its intention to create a “transit embargo” that would block asylum seekers from receiving protection in the United States if they transit through other countries on their way here. It’s a flare-up, making it much harder for people like me to get to safety.
The Washington, DC City Council says a bill allowing noncitizens to vote is now being enacted.
When I fled Guatemala, I had no immediate intention of coming to America. But when I frantically searched online for information about countries that might accept me, the only resource I could find spoke of the United States. There was no. We grabbed our bags and crossed over to Mexico to begin our long journey north.
U.S. President Joe Biden speaks with members of the U.S. Border Patrol as they walk along the U.S.-Mexico border fence in El Paso, Texas, January 8, 2023. (JIM WATSON/AFP via Getty Images)
It took more than two weeks to reach Reynosa on the US border. I once walked for 12 hours. When I finally arrived, I was kidnapped by a criminal who held me for her 21 days until my family was able to raise a ransom for my release.
Only then could I finally approach a US border crossing and apply for asylum. But because of Trump’s so-called Immigration Protection Protocol (MPP), I was immediately sent back to Mexico to wait until my case was processed.
I spent over 18 months in the Matamoros refugee camp. I learned that in Mexico, just like in Guatemala, LGBTQ people often face discrimination and physical harm. One of his transgender friends was forced into prostitution by a criminal cartel while waiting for his asylum claim to be heard.
It was clear that I was not safe in Mexico, not only because of the kidnapping, but because of the persecution faced by LGBTQ immigrants like myself. My experience in refugee camps gives me living knowledge that it is inhumane and dangerous for immigrants to seek asylum while in transit before arriving in the United States.
If I had sought asylum in Mexico, I would have been forced to stay in a country where I had already been kidnapped and subjected to homophobic abuse. are equally at risk if they are required to flee the countries they transit.
The Biden administration expects people to seek asylum where they first arrive after leaving their home country. But countries have different asylum systems, which are often difficult to understand, especially for those who have had to abandon everything and flee their home country. In many cases — including mine! — Asylum seekers are exploited by smugglers and traffickers and pushed down dangerous routes to reach safety. Asking people in such situations to press pause and follow a list of legal requirements is unrealistic and unfair, especially in a country that still faces harm.
Click here to get the opinion newsletter
America will always be a place where the poor and persecuted can seek refuge, start over, and live freely without being threatened, beaten, or killed for who they are. It was a place where we could. Those who reach the border crossings and request humanitarian assistance deserve a fair chance and a speedy hearing. Not slamming doors or a long list of arbitrary rules designed to keep them out.
It was clear that I was not safe in Mexico, not only because of the kidnapping, but because of the persecution faced by LGBTQ immigrants like myself. My experience in refugee camps gives me living knowledge that it is inhumane and dangerous for immigrants to seek asylum while in transit before arriving in the United States.
Back in Guatemala, my husband and I jointly ran a marketing business. We overcame difficulties, achieved success, and did not want to leave home. But when faced with persecution, we had no choice. Since we’re here, we’re building new lives — and trying to help others who have followed in our footsteps.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
The more barriers we build to keep the oppressed out, the more we undermine the very things that make America truly great. The Biden administration’s “no passage” is his one of those bricks in the wall that should never have been built.
As a new arrival, I am endlessly grateful for the sanctuary I have been given. We hope to ensure that we always keep our promise as a place where you can find
