WASHINGTON— Today, Rep. Raúl M. Grijalva led 45 Members of Congress in a letter to Acting Secretary Kevin McAleenan demanding answers on the implementation of the Migrant Protection Protocols—also known as the “Remain in Mexico” policy—and its adverse impacts on LGBTQ asylum seekers at the Southern border. The lawmakers wrote:

“We are concerned the continued implementation of this protocol or actions similar to it will create additional safety and health concerns for vulnerable populations, especially the LGBT community. Eighty-eight percent of LGBTI asylum-seekers and refugees from the Northern Triangle interviewed by the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees were victims of sexual and gender-based violence in their countries of origin, and two-thirds reported suffering sexual and gender-based violence in Mexico.’ Forcing them to remain in Mexico or creating additional hardships in their asylum process only makes them more susceptible to the same violence that forced them from their home countries in the first place.”

Click here to read the full letter.