Dear Center Community,
My name is Gloria Cruz Cardenas (she/they), Chief Impact Officer at The Center. In response to recent executive actions around immigration, The Center has developed resources to help protect LGBTQ+ immigrants in our community, including an upcoming Know Your Rights workshop and resource fair on March 6.
Over the past month, the current administration has issued a barrage of executive actions targeting immigrants. Trump’s immigration executive actions have ended lifesaving programs like access to the CBP One app, placing many vulnerable LGBTQ+ migrants in harm’s way and leaving asylum seekers fleeing violence and persecution with no clear process for pleading their case.
These actions have also led to increased Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations that do not always ensure due process of law for individuals. Instead of addressing much-needed immigration reform, these actions are creating panic, separating families, and tearing communities apart as people fear going to work and parents fear for their children’s safety at school.
As a binational region and home to the busiest border crossing in the world, San Diego has a higher likelihood of immigration enforcement agencies patrolling our communities and interacting with our residents. It is important that our community is informed of how the recent immigration orders impact our region and how to exercise our constitutional rights.
LGBTQ+ Community and Immigrants: Our Shared Struggle
These immigration executive actions are a direct attack on the safety and dignity of vulnerable communities and create an environment of fear. Throughout history, law enforcement raids on LGBTQ+ bars and gathering spaces sought to intimidate, control, and erase queer lives; today, immigration raids serve the same purpose. For LGBTQ+ immigrants at the intersection of these identities, the risks are even greater, especially transgender migrants who face extreme discrimination in detention centers, where they are often misgendered, denied medical care, and placed in facilities that put them at risk of violence.
Anti-immigrant executive actions scapegoat immigrants without addressing meaningful immigration reform or creating pathways to citizenship for many who have called this country home for decades. They place countless innocent people at risk of deportation, regardless of their positive, long-standing contributions to their communities and to our country. Much like anti-LGBTQ policies, these anti-immigrant actions are designed to disempower our most vulnerable populations and deny them fair treatment, forcing them to remain on the fringes of society through systemic barriers, rather than granting them the rights and protections they deserve.
Know Your Rights Resources
As the largest LGBTQ+ organization in our border region, The Center is committed to protecting our binational community and providing essential resources. All people, regardless of immigration status, have constitutional rights.
We have created a guide, “LGBTQ+ Immigrants: Know Your Rights,” to help people respond when engaging with law enforcement agencies. Downloadable PDF guides in both English and Spanish are available on our website:
Our Know Your Rights guide covers how to recognize law enforcement agencies, as well as what to do if law enforcement stops you, wants to enter your home, or arrests you. These guides can be printed and distributed to friends, co-workers, family, and community members who may be at risk.
In addition to our Know Your Rights guides, The Center, along with community partners, will host a Know Your Rights workshop on March 6. This workshop will be held in Spanish with English translation available, followed by a resource fair where community members can interact with immigration attorneys and organizations supporting the immigrant community. Given the ongoing changing environment, we hope to provide a safe, affirming space for our community to access services and information that is accurate and up to date.
We have gathered a list of organizations on our website that provide support to immigrants, including legal assistance. Sharing these critical resources can make all the difference when engaging with law enforcement agencies.
The Center is proud to stand in unwavering allyship with our immigrant community, including LGBTQ+ immigrants who face compounded threats. History has shown us that when the government targets one vulnerable group, it endangers us all. But we are not powerless. By educating ourselves, sharing vital Know Your Rights information, and refusing to let fear divide us, we can protect our safe spaces and build a stronger, more resilient community. Together, we can ensure that every person—regardless of immigration status or identity—has the chance to live authentically with safety, freedom, and respect.
In community,
Gloria Cruz Cardenas (she/they)
Chief Impact Officer