Rep. Al Green (D-TX) held a press conference in Houston on Thursday calling on the Department of Homeland Security to restore hormone therapy and other medical care for transgender immigrants held in ICE custody.
Green appeared with representatives from the Houston LGBTQ+ Political Caucus and the Montrose Center, framing the event around what the group described as the “maltreatment of transgender immigrants” in federal detention.
Green read aloud from a letter he sent to Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin. “Dear Secretary Mullin, I write to express my deep concern over reports of hazardous conditions for transgender immigrants in Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention facilities, resulting from deliberate agency policies,” he read.
According to Green, those policies include cutting off medical care and rolling back protections that had previously been in place for transgender detainees. He said the federal government has “halted the provision of specialized medical care for transgender detainees in at least 10 detention centers across the nation, which experts have warned can cause physical and mental health complications.”
Green also said the Trump administration ended a Biden-era policy that had reserved certain detention units specifically for transgender women, resulting in some being housed with men or placed in solitary confinement.
Daron Perez, the TransWellness program coordinator at the Montrose Center, said continued access to hormones is a matter of basic dignity for detainees.
“Transgender immigrants should not have to wonder, ‘Will I receive my hormones? Will my identity be respected? Will I be safe? Will anybody care?’ Being detained should never mean losing your dignity, your safety, or access to necessary medical care.”
Green drew a comparison to medical treatment provided to other detained individuals, including those accused of violent crimes.
“In this country, if we can provide aid and comfort to the bank robber, to the person who’s engaged in mortal combat with Americans, we surely can provide aid and comfort to persons who have committed no crimes, who are in the care, custody, and control of the government. And who need medical attention.”
“Medical attention should not be denied any person, especially because of who you happen to be,” Green said. “We cannot allow the exception to this to become persons who are associated with the trans community.”
The Department of Homeland Security did not immediately respond to the letter as described at the press conference.
