Double Betrayal: The U.S. Guaranteed Gay Refugees' Safety, Then Deported Them to Countries Where They Face Criminal Prosecution

The U.S. Is Actively Deporting Gay Men and Lesbians Seeking Asylum to Third Countries, where their lives and freedom face grave danger. As part of an expanding policy, U.S. immigration authorities are deporting refugees not to their home countries, but to African and Latin American nations that have agreed to accept them.

The Donald Trump administration has signed at least 35 such agreements with various countries. Those being deported include gay migrants who have already received court protection from removal to their home countries due to the threat of persecution based on their sexual orientation.

“I Just Wanted to Live Freely”: Aylin’s Story

Twenty-eight-year-old Aylin left her native Turkey two years ago after a religious group and a close relative threatened her life because of her sexual orientation. She hoped to find freedom, privacy, justice, and safety in the United States.

Soon after arriving in the United States an immigration judge granted Aylin protection from deportation (withholding of removal), confirming that returning to Turkey would be dangerous for her because she is gay. However, she was denied full asylum under a Biden-era border policy that was later struck down by a court.

After spending 18 months in a U.S. deportation center, Aylin was put in handcuffs and shackles and put on a flight to the Central African Republic (CAR). She only learned that the country existed during the flight.

Aylin spent several weeks in an apartment in Bangui, the capital of the CAR, facing complete uncertainty and fearing for her life. Although homosexuality is not formally prohibited by law in the CAR, society is extremely hostile toward it, and openly supporting same-sex relationships is considered extremely dangerous. In conversations with journalists, local residents openly stated that gay people should be killed or arrested.

Unable to bear living in constant fear, Aylin decided to return to Turkey. She is now forced to hide her sexual orientation from her family and dreams of saving enough money to secretly leave for Europe. Meanwhile, the Turkish authorities have launched large-scale raids targeting gay activists and human rights groups.

Deportation to a country where homosexuality is punishable by imprisonment

Aylin’s story is not an isolated case. Twenty-one-year-old Adwoa from Ghana fled to the United States to escape violence and persecution, related to her sexual orientation. A U.S. court guaranteed that she would not be sent back to Ghana, but instead, U.S. authorities sent her to Cameroon.

In Cameroon, same-sex relations are a criminal offense and are punishable by up to five years in prison. Advoa is currently being held in a government deportation center and fears for his life. Meanwhile, American human rights advocates have previously represented gay Cameroonians fleeing persecution in their country.

Almost half of the countries accepting migrants deported from the United States under third-country agreements are in Africa, where homosexuality is criminalized in many nations.

The authorities' position and the response from human rights advocates

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is defending this policy, stating that third-country agreements are legal and ensure the safety of the American people. The department emphasizes that if a judge rules that a migrant has no right to remain in the United States, they are deported in accordance with the law.

For their part, human rights organizations view what is happening as the United States abandoning its moral and legal obligations. A representative of the organization Immigration Equality Bridget Crawford called the deportation of gay people to countries where they face persecution “unthinkable and unacceptable.”

A federal appeals court has already ruled that certain aspects of the policy of deporting people to third countries are unlawful. However, the final decision will likely be made by the U.S. Supreme Court, which the Trump administration has asked to allow the deportations to resume.

Based on CNN reports.