Nearly a Dozen Trans Migrants Win Asylum Cases

Ten trans women who came to the United States last year as part of a larger group of Central American migrants won their asylum cases, CBS News reports, though many of the women they traveled with remain incarcerated in a Texas detention center.

In a video tweeted by Raices, an immigration legal services nonprofit that helped the women win their cases, one of the women says that she feels "so happy" to be free.

"I feel extremely happy because my dreams have come true," Cataleya says. "I feel so happy because I know that I'm heading to my new life. My future starts now."

Another woman in the video named Estrellita says that she feels "extremely proud" about her release. Speaking to CBS News, she adds that she'd like to open a shelter for trans women someday.

"So many advocates have helped me and I want to turn around and help others," she said.

While Cataleya, Estrellita, and eight other trans women have won their asylum cases, the news isn't so good for nearly two dozen other trans women migrants who traveled up with them last year -- a treacherous journey that President Donald Trump and other anti-immigrant politicians repeatedly exploited for political gain last year.

CBS News doesn't give an exact number of women who did not win their cases, but the outlet says that "20 or so" have either lost their asylum cases or remain in Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody at the South Texas Detention Complex in Pearsall where, as LGBTQ+ detainees, they remain especially vulnerable to harassment and assault.

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