September, 2021

A report from Human Rights First discussed the separation of a Russian LGBTQ asylum-seeking man and his partner at a California port of entry.

In September 2021, DHS separated an LGBTQ Russian asylum seeker from his partner and detained him for weeks at La Palma Correctional Center in Arizona. After the pair requested protection together at a California port of entry, DHS inexplicably detained the man while granting parole to the man’s partner to continue the asylum process in the United States, according to Immigration Equality.

“I’m a Prisoner Here”: Biden Administration Policies Lock Up Asylum Seekers (New York: Human Rights First, April 21, 2022) https://www.humanrightsfirst.org/resource/i-m-prisoner-here-biden-administration-policies-lock-asylum-seekers.

Sector(s): San Diego Field Office

Agency(ies): CBP

Event Type(s): Family Separation

Accountability Status: Unknown

Victim Classification: Family Unit, LGBTQ, Russia