Democrats propose bill to protect LGBTQ+ immigrants

Democrats in the United States have proposed a bill to protect LGBTQ+ immigrants by qualifying them as "vulnerable persons," aiming to overhaul the broken immigration system.

The Dignity for Detained Immigrants Act, reintroduced by the Democrats in the House and Senate on April 20, seeks to repeal mandatory detention and release vulnerable persons who meet 11 qualifications. These include being under 21, pregnant, identifying as LGBTQ+, having mental or physical illness or disability, limited English language proficiency, or being a survivor of torture or gender-based violence.

The bill also seeks to end the use of private detention facilities and ban cruel solitary confinement for immigrants. The bill's reintroduction was led by Washington Representative Pramila Jayapal, New Jersey Senator Cory Booker, and Washington Representative Adam Smith.

Booker stated that the bill aims to "protect the basic rights of immigrants detained in the United States," and Smith took to Twitter to say that the bill "would overhaul our broken immigration system to ensure it is humane and just."