1. United States
2. Mich.
3. Letter

I am writing to urge you to take immediate action to stop the deportation of LGBTQ+ asylum seekers to countries where they face imprisonment, torture, or death. The current administration's use of third-country transfer agreements is placing vulnerable people in mortal danger based solely on their sexual orientation or gender identity. On July 29, 2025, the United States signed a 4-page agreement with Uganda allowing the transfer of third-country nationals for asylum processing. This is unconscionable given that Uganda's Anti-Homosexuality Act, passed in 2023, prescribes life imprisonment for consensual same-sex relationships and allows the death penalty for cases labeled "aggravated homosexuality." Attorney Bekah Wolf of the American Immigration Council has identified a nationwide pattern where government attorneys ask judges to dismiss asylum claims without full adjudication by citing Uganda as an alternative destination. The administration is also attempting to deport two gay Iranian men in a relationship back to Iran, where homosexuality is punishable by imprisonment, torture, or death. These men fled persecution in Iran and sought protection in the United States, but their asylum claims were denied without legal representation. One nearly boarded a deportation flight to Iran on Sunday before a temporary stay was granted. Shannon Minter, legal director of the National Center for LGBTQ+ Rights, stated that ICE agents are being sent to "grab, detain, and immediately deport law-abiding gay and transgender people, who have committed no crimes" to countries like Uganda "where there is a death penalty for being LGBTQ." The United States has a legal and moral obligation under international law to protect people fleeing persecution. Sending LGBTQ+ asylum seekers to countries with death penalties for homosexuality violates our commitment to human rights and puts blood on our hands. I urge you to publicly oppose these deportations, introduce or support legislation to halt third-country transfer agreements with countries that criminalize LGBTQ+ people, and demand that asylum claims be fully adjudicated before any removal proceedings continue.