About LGBTQ asylum seekers…

The need is real: The number of LGBT people seeking asylum in the United States each year is not precisely known, as federal agencies do not publish statistics based on sexual orientation or gender identity. However, estimates can be drawn from available data.

A study by the Williams Institute at UCLA School of Law estimated that approximately 30,900 LGBT people applied for asylum in the United States between 2012 and 2017, which averages to about 6,200 applications per year. This estimate was based on data from the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services and considered both asylum applications filed explicitly on the basis of LGBT status and those filed for other reasons by LGBT individuals.

The same study also reported that between 2012 and 2017, there were 11,400 applications for asylum based on LGBT status, with 4,385 of these claims leading to fear interviews with asylum officers. Almost all of these interviews (99% of credible fear interviews and 95% of reasonable fear interviews) resulted in positive determinations of fear.

Furthermore, the challenges faced by LGBT asylum seekers are significant. Research indicates that they are particularly vulnerable to discrimination, persecution, and violence throughout the migratory process. Challenges include difficulties in transit, barriers to claiming asylum, and experiences of arrival and resettlement. This vulnerability is often exacerbated by a lack of awareness that sexual orientation and gender identity can be valid grounds for an asylum claim, and by biases in the asylum adjudication process.

It goes without saying that these asylum seekers do not have representation nor money to hire some. This is why we want to help. And now, you can too.

Meet Fr. Lorenzo

That here is Fr. Lorenzo. He’s an Episcopal priest in California. Fr Lorenzo has a dream that we can use commerce to help the world’s needs. Sanctus is just such a thing. You can follow Fr. Lorenzo on Facebook @RevLorenzo.