A Global Mousetrap: A Coordinated Threat to LGBTQIA+ Freedom
In recent weeks, the global landscape for LGBTQIA+ asylum seekers has shifted in a way that can only be described as a mouse trap. We are seeing an alarming alignment between the Senegalese, Ugandan, and U.S. governments on a single, devastating principle: LGBTQIA+ people should not be free to be themselves.
On Tuesday, March 31, Senegalese President Bassirou Diomaye Faye signed into law a bill that further criminalizes consensual same sex relations. This legislative attack did not happen in a vacuum. Reports from Reuters indicate that MassResistance, a U.S. based anti-LGBTQIA+ hate group, worked directly with Senegalese organizations to promote this bill. MassResistance is well known to us. Designated as a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center, they have spent decades challenging marriage equality and human rights in states like Idaho, Michigan, and the Dakotas. Their influence has now crossed borders, fueling the very persecution that forces our community members to flee for their lives.
Perhaps most shocking is how these global shifts are manifesting in the U.S. legal system. Under July 2025 agreements, the U.S. government established a policy to send certain third country asylum seekers to Uganda. We are seeing the human cost of this policy firsthand. This week, one of our clients was scheduled for a court hearing on Wednesday the 25th; however, the Judge issued a deportation order two days early, on Monday the 23rd. Our client, who is from Senegal, has been ordered deported to Uganda. The logic behind this decision suggests that Uganda is now safe for LGBTQIA+ people. We know this is fundamentally untrue. This policy ignores the reality of state sponsored homophobia in Uganda and creates a revolving door of danger for those seeking safety.
At Refuge America, we refuse to accept a world where our community members are traded between hostile jurisdictions. We are actively fighting for our client from Senegal and continuing our advocacy to challenge these dangerous third country agreements. We are a Nation of Welcome, and that means standing firm when the systems designed to protect refugees instead turn into traps. We have stories to tell, and we also have people to protect. Our work continues, even when it is not visible. In this moment, we are choosing protection over performance. Thank you for standing with us as we navigate these incredibly difficult times.
In Solidarity,
The Refuge America Team