Rally and March to PROTECT QUEER & TRANS ASYLUM SEEKERS
Date: Friday, March 19, 2021
Location: Foley Square (40 Foley SquareNew York, NY 10007)
Rally Press Release
Organizations: Queer Detainee Empowerment Project (QDEP), Caribbean Equality Project (CEP), Iman Le Caire of TransEmigrate, and Voices Of Community Activists & Leaders (VOCAL-NY)
We must hold President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Devi Harris accountable for their promises of advancing LGBTQ equality, including protections for LGBTQ+ immigrants and asylum seekers.
Join us on Friday, March 19th at 5:00 PM EST at FOLEY SQUARE for a rally and march to demand the Biden-Harris administration keep its promises on the campaign trail to protect Black and all Queer and Trans asylum seekers.
On January 22nd, in response to the Biden campaign’s proposed immigration legislation, we called upon President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris to execute the following within the first 100 days of taking office:
End the detention of Black queer and trans immigrants and Protect trans and queer Muslim migrants
Defund the police and begin the transition away from the prison industrial complex
Decriminalize border crossing, abolish ICE and #FreeThemAll from ICE facilities as a response to COVID-19 and its threat to people who are currently incarcerated
Empower and provide access to healthcare for LGBTQ+ immigrants through universal health care, education reform, and Include LGBTQ+ immigrants in the Biden-Harris administration Path to citizenship policy for 11 million undocumented people
Prioritize education that uplift the lives of trans women of color -- provide homes/resources/job opportunities, programs and education around trans identity, challenge religious or hateful speech etc., and don't just punish in the aftermath
Strengthen asylum laws, so that LGBTQ+ migrants who are fleeing discrimination and violence can get refuge in the US
Increase funding for youth education, support state-level legislation around LGBTQ+ rights, pronouns, and encourage education in religious spaces around sexuality and gender
On February 4th, in his remarks on America’s place in the world, President Biden specifically promised that he will protect LGBTQ refugees and asylum seekers at home and abroad, and said he will increase the number of refugees admitted.
Friday’s rally is dedicated to Faby Federick, a trans woman who died by suicide on March 7, 2021. After years of exploitation in Costa Rica, Faby fled to America only to face homelessness in Los Angeles, a year in an ICE detention camp, and then a global pandemic, housing insecurity, and health problems shortly after arriving in NY. Despite all these obstacles and more, Faby remained hopeful and determined and managed to learn English, prepare for the high school equivalency exam, befriend many, and train as a chef. Faby had big dreams of higher education, making political change, and starting a family. Tragically, this has all been cut short.
On Friday, we will rally and march to remember Faby Federick and manifest a better, safer world for our trans siblings and loved ones.
Co-Hosts: Jackie Cox from Season 12 of Rupaul’s Dragrace, Iman Le Caire of TransEmigrate, and Mohamed Q. Amin, Founder of Caribbean Equality Project
Speakers: Uche Onwa (QDEP), Edinson Calderon (QDEP), Mayte Castillo Ramos (QDEP), Liaam Winslet (CIT), Tiffany Munroe (CEP), Brian Moore (CEP), Iman Le Caire (TransEmigrate), Mohamed Q. Amin (CEP)
Action endorsed by: Colectivo Intercultural TRANSgrediendo, Reclaim Pride Coalition, Rise and Resist, CosechaNYC, Lambda Legal, Impulse Group NYC, Black Legal Observer Coalition, Families For Freedom, and Freedom For Immigrants
organizers
