ENTRY DENIED

Horrific Anti-LGBT Persecution in El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras. United States blocks path to asylum

The governments of El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras have failed to effectively address violence and entrenched discrimination LGBT people, leading many to seek asylum in the United States, Human Rights Watch said in a report released today. Yet policies by the administration of President Donald Trump have made it almost impossible for them to obtain asylum, reports the Human Rights Watch.

The 152-page report documents violence experienced by LGBT people in the three Northern Central American countries collectively known as the Northern Triangle, including at the hands of gangs, law enforcement officials, and their own families. Human Rights Watch found that Northern Triangle governments fail to adequately protect LGBT people against violence and discrimination, and that they face major obstacles if they attempt to seek asylum in the United States.

“LGBT people in the Northern Triangle face high levels of violence that their own governments appear unable or unwilling to address,” said Neela Ghoshal, senior LGBT rights researcher at Human Rights Watch. “For some LGBT people in the region, seeking asylum in the United States is the only hope of safety, but the Trump administration has blocked them at every turn.”

“As long as LGBT people continue to experience threats to their lives and safety based on their identity in their countries of origin, the US should welcome them with open arms, rather than slamming the door on them.”