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Transgender asylum seeker held in men's Louisiana facility, denied hormone therapy

Aug 20, 2026·Location: New York, NY

Country of origin: Venezuela

Transgender asylum seeker held in men's Louisiana facility, denied hormone therapy
Photo via Seattle Times

Camila Toro de Paula, a 25-year-old transgender woman from Venezuela, has been held for nearly a year at a men's ICE detention facility in Jena, Louisiana, after being arrested during a routine immigration check-in at ICE's New York City office in August 2025. She fled Venezuela after suffering childhood abuse, including repeated rape by relatives and a homophobic stabbing attack by police, and sought asylum in the U.S. two years ago. Toro de Paula says she has been assaulted, threatened, placed in solitary confinement, denied water, and deprived of the hormone therapy she had received for years, after a policy protecting transgender detainees was eliminated in February 2025. She told The New York Times, "I'm afraid of dying here," and says she has resisted pressure to voluntarily return to Venezuela. Immigration officials cited felony assault and weapons charges as justification for her detention, though both charges were later dismissed and sealed.

Timeline

Aug 20, 2026—Continued detention in Louisiana after 11 months, with ongoing reports of assault and denial of medical care
Aug 1, 2025—Arrested by ICE during a routine check-in at the agency's New York City office
Aug 1, 2025—Transferred to a men's federal detention facility in Jena, Louisiana, despite her lawyer's objections
Aug 1, 2025—Reported being placed in solitary confinement, denied water, assaulted, and denied hormone therapy while in detention
Feb 1, 2025—Policy protecting transgender detainees from housing based on gender identity was eliminated
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