April Amaya-Luis, an undocumented transgender woman, is currently being held at a male-only detention facility in South Florida after being transferred from Maryland. She was arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement on Feb. 4 and was held in Baltimore for eight days before being moved to the Krome Detention Center near Homestead. Her attorney and LGBTQ+ advocates have criticized ICE for the decision to transfer her so far from her home.
Amaya-Luis, a business owner in the U.S., pleaded guilty in January to a simple assault charge and has never been convicted of a violent crime. Her attorney believes that her status as a transgender woman played a role in ICE’s decision to transfer her to Florida, especially since Maryland does not have ICE detention contracts.
Recent accusations made by the White House alleging that Amaya-Luis was convicted of a sexual offense involving a minor have been vehemently denied by her attorney. The handling of transgender detainees by ICE has also been criticized by LGBTQ+ rights advocates.
The case has drawn national attention due to the intersection of immigration enforcement and gender identity policies. Amaya-Luis is scheduled to appear before a Miami immigration judge on Feb. 26, and her husband has launched a GoFundMe campaign to help secure her release.
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