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On January 8th the House passed the Laken Riley Act, a harmful immigration policy that will disproportionately affect Black and Black  LGBTQ+ migrants. Presented under the guise of national security, this legislation dangerously expands detention, surveillance, and expedited deportation measures. It fails to consider the nuanced realities and rights of immigrants fleeing violence, persecution, and instability.

For Black immigrants and asylum seekers, the act heightens the systemic injustices they already face, including racial profiling, unjust detention, and exclusion from legal protections. Black LGBTQ+ immigrants, in particular, face even worse threats as they often seek refuge in the U.S. from environments hostile to their existence only to be met with institutionalized oppression upon arrival.

What the Laken Riley Act Does:

• Expands detention authority, allowing for longer detentions without due process.

• Accelerates deportation proceedings, limiting opportunities for legal counsel and asylum claims.

• Increases surveillance of immigrant communities, creating a climate of fear and reducing access to essential resources.

• Further criminalizes undocumented immigrants and asylum seekers, treating migration as a criminal act rather than a humanitarian issue.

Harmful Impact on Black and Black LGBTQ+ migrants:

1. Increased Racial Targeting: Black migrants already experience disproportionate arrests and detentions due to entrenched anti-Black biases in immigration enforcement.

2. LGBTQ+ Discrimination: Black LGBTQ+ migrants are further endangered by extended detentions where abuse, harassment, and lack of medical care are pervasive.

3. Erosion of Legal Protections: By fast-tracking deportations, many individuals lose their chance to present asylum claims, effectively stripping them of their legal right to safety.

4. Community Disintegration: Families are torn apart, and fear-driven surveillance drives marginalized immigrants deeper into the shadows, cutting them off from support networks.

Call To Action

• Contact Your Representatives: Call or write your senators (202) 224-3121 and urge them to vote NO on the Laken Riley Act in the Senate.

• Join Advocacy Efforts: Partner with organizations like BDLI, BAJI, DWN and other immigrant rights groups fighting against this harmful legislation.

• Educate and Mobilize: Share information about the act and its impact on Black and Black LGBTQ+ immigrants with your networks to build broader public awareness.

• Donate and Volunteer: Support organizations like BDLI that help immigrants navigate detention and deportation.

Black Diaspora Liberty Initiative (BDLI) advocates for the rights and well-being of Black LGBTQ+ immigrants, by fostering a supportive and inclusive environment where all individuals not only survive but thrive.

We provide compassionate support, advocacy, and resources for Black LGBTQ+  immigrants who have been displaced from their home countries due to persecution, discrimination, or violence based on their sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression, while working towards uniting the Black LGBTQ+ communities in the diaspora.