America ‘turns back on’ LGBT refugees who fled ISIS persecution as Trump axes resettlement plan
LGBT refugees who have fled execution under Islamic terrorists in Syria and Iraq can no longer seek refuge in America, thanks to an order from President Trump.
The Republican billionaire is expected to sign an executive order this week to suspend the US Refugee Admissions Program, creating further obstacles for people who have fled persecution and ending the resettlement of refugees.
He is also expected to sign an order banning people from Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria or Yemen travelling to the US.
LGBT rights groups say the new orders will be a direct blow to the thousands of LGBT people who have been displaced in Iraq and Syria, as the terrorist group known as ISIS continues to actively target and execute gay men.
The Human Rights Campaign’s President Chad Griffin warned: “President Trump’s attacks on immigrants and refugees are a direct assault on America’s most fundamental values.
“Donald Trump’s unjust and unconscionable executive orders make life more dangerous for countless LGBTQ people, and could equal a death sentence for those trying to escape violence and persecution from places such as Syria. No wall, no matter how high, can block America’s promise of liberty and justice for all.”
HRC explained: “Countless LGBTQ refugees fleeing violence in countries like Syria and Iraq will suffer from the executive order to suspend the refugee admissions program.
“The executive order will prevent refugees from escaping some of most violent regimes in the world. HRC’s report, “Helping LGBTQ Refugees and Asylum Seekers in the Age of ISIL,” highlighted how men alleged to have sex with men are hunted down by ISIL, targeted on social media and subjected to extreme violence. Among the vicious attacks: ISIL has tied nooses around these men’s necks and dragged them behind trucks, burned them alive, thrown them off buildings and stoned them to death.”
Their report warned: “ISIL has unleashed a reign of terror against civilians and vulnerable minorities living in areas it has seized, including barbarous violence against LGBTQ people. ISIL’s extreme ideology is interpreted by its followers to
require the death penalty for those who engage in sexual relations outside of heterosexual marriage, including same-sex sexual relations.
“Therefore, gay and bisexual men in particular, or men alleged to have sex with men, have been publicly identified as targets for violence and have been methodically hunted down through social media and through their phone logs.
“When caught, many are subjected to extreme violence, including torture. The methods that ISIL has used to murder gay and bisexual men have been incredibly vicious.
“ISIL has tied nooses around these men’s necks and dragged them behind trucks, burned them alive, thrown them off buildings, stoned them to death, and glued their rectums shut and abandoned them in the desert to die.”
