OPINION: LGBTQ+ immigrants in detention facilities
OPINION by Molly Bryant
Special to The Gayly
In our current political era, undocumented immigrants and their families in the United States live with a heightened fear of deportation and detention. Unfortunately, their fears are reinforced by inherently racist policies that detain and deport undocumented immigrants for traffic offenses or low-level crimes.
Tulsa County has two Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agreements, 287(g) and IGSA. These agreements permit the detention of any undocumented immigrant who is brought into the county jail, regardless of charges - or lack thereof.
Benton County and Washington County in Arkansas and Okmulgee County in Oklahoma are the only other counties in The Gayly service area that have these agreements, which qualifies these county jails as immigrant detention facilities.
Supporters of these agreements claim that they make our communities safer and they bring in money for underfunded counties. Opponents cite data showing that these programs are costly for the county and divert local law enforcement attention toward federal immigration enforcement, while their salaries are being paid by local taxes.
These programs also incite further fear to report crimes. In areas where local law enforcement cooperates with ICE, 70 percent of undocumented Latinx individuals say that they would not contact the police if there are victims of crime. Reports of sexual violence drop drastically, not because sexual assaults occur less often when ICE is nearby, but because people are fearful that contacting law enforcement might lead to their detainment and deportation.
Unfortunately, we have seen victims of crime be detained because of these ICE agreements, and while most do not end up being deported, many do. Also remember, counties choosing to house immigrants in ICE custody are considered immigration detention facilities.
Those who are detained for a short time are subject to violence within the facilities. During the past seven years, there were over 1,200 complaints of sexual assault in immigration detention facilities across the United States. Of those 1,200 complaints, only 43 were investigated, which doesn’t mean that 43 survivors of sexual assault saw their abuser held accountable. It means only 43 complaints of 1,200 were taken seriously.
Over half of those accused of sexual assault in immigration detention facilities worked for ICE. This fact is in stark contrast to the narrative that immigrants are dangerous and violent (remember a certain popular speech from 2015 that resonated with many nationalists?).
The general immigrant population already experiences high rates of sexual violence, but LGBTQ+ immigrants in detention facilities are 97 times more likely to be sexually assaulted than the general immigrant population. 97 times! Take a moment to let that sink in. If you are an LGBTQ+ immigrant in a detention facility, your chances of not being assaulted are horrifically low.
As a society, we should not support the practice of arresting and detaining immigrants in facilities that perpetuate violence and further their stories of trauma and harassment. Immigrants are already more likely to have experienced trauma during their lifetime, especially those who have migrated through Central America and Mexico, often after fleeing violence and anti-LGBTQ+ discrimination in their home countries.
To get involved in the work in Tulsa County, join the Campaign to End 287(g), follow New Sanctuary Network on Facebook, or march on over to your County Commissioners office and ask them to cancel these programs. For more information on national organizations working to end ICE agreements like these, check out the Immigrant Legal Resource Center and RAICES.
Molly Bryant, MSW is the Underserved Outreach Advocate t Domestic Violence Intervention Services (DVIS) in Tulsa, OK. For domestic violence or sexual assault assistance, call DVIS at (918) 743-5763. Content references available upon request.
Copyright The Gayly. 7/3/2019 @ 7:25 a.m. CST.