http://america.aljazeera.com/articles/2013/11/25/lgbt-immigrant-detaineesfacehigherriskofsexualassaultabuse.htmlAuthor: Dexter Mullins Source: Al-Jazeera America
Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) immigrants held in immigration detention facilities are 15 times more likely to be sexually assaulted than their heterosexual counterparts, according to a new report from the Center for American Progress (CAP).
Because ICE and DHS do not recognize a detainee by their gender-identity, but by their gender at birth, transgender detainees are kept with members of the opposite sex.
Her [Freedom of Information] request revealed instances of transgender detainees being referred to as "he-she" by immigration officials, not receiving proper medical treatment and LGBT detainees being kept in solitary confinement as a protective measure by ICE to attempt to keep the detainees from being sexually assaulted.
Victoria Arellano, an HIV positive female transgender detainee, died in 2007 in a men's mass detention cell because she was refused medical attention and treatment. Transgender detainees are also frequently denied hormone treatment while detained.
