Good news! Our client Julio, an asylum seeker living with HIV, was just released from an ICE detention facility in Arizona. As Julio’s lawyers, the Immigration Equality team fought for his freedom—even after ICE denied his initial request for release. We also called on ICE to immediately release all HIV-positive people in detention whose lives are in grave danger as COVID-19 spreads.  

While we’re breathing a sigh of relief for Julio—and several other immunocompromised individuals released the same day—the stark reality is that ICE still refuses to release the majority of detained people living with HIV who suffer from grossly negligent medical care and a lack of basic hygiene.  

Add your name to our petition today demanding that all people living with HIV be released from detention immediately.

Julio is an asylum seeker who was persecuted on account of his sexual orientation, political opinion, and HIV-status. ICE failed to provide him HIV medication for an entire month after arriving at the detention center, which left his health—and life—hanging in the balance. 

The neglect he experienced was outrageous, and sadly, many HIV-positive people are still in detention being treated inhumanely. But there’s reason for hope. ICE is paying attention to our demands—and the advocacy of many other immigrant rights groups. This is our window of opportunity to save lives, so we need to act now.  

Join us by signing our petition to ICE demanding freedom for all people living with HIV at grave risk in immigration detention.

Thank you for lending your voice to this fight. 

Be well, and stay safe,

Bridget Crawford, Legal Director
Immigration Equality