Nos. 18-587, 18-588, 18-589
`
`IN THE
`Supreme Court of the United States
`————
`DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY, et al., Petitioners,
`v.
`REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, Respondents.
`————
`DONALD J. TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES, et al.,
`Petitioners,
`v.
`NATIONAL ASSOCIATION FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF
`COLORED PEOPLE, et al., Respondents.
`————
`KEVIN K. MCALEENAN, ACTING SECRETARY OF
`HOMELAND SECURITY, et al., Petitioners,
`v.
`MARTIN JONATHAN BATALLA VIDAL, et al., Respondents.
`————
`On Writs of Certiorari to the
`United States Courts of Appeals for the
`Ninth, District of Columbia, and Second Circuits
`————
`BRIEF OF THE NATIONAL QUEER ASIAN
`PACIFIC ISLANDER ALLIANCE AND
`OTHERS AS AMICI CURIAE
`IN SUPPORT OF RESPONDENTS
`————
`SUSAN M. FINEGAN
`Counsel of Record
`MEREDITH M. LEARY
`KAITLYN A. CROWE
`ANGEL FENG
`GEOFFREY A. FRIEDMAN
`RITHIKA KULATHILA
`MARGUERITE MCCONIHE
`MINTZ, LEVIN, COHN,
`FERRIS, GLOVSKY
`AND POPEO, P.C.
`One Financial Center
`Boston, MA 02111
`(617) 542-6000
`SMFinegan@Mintz.com
`Counsel for Amici Curiae
`WILSON-EPES PRINTING CO., INC. – (202) 789-0096 – WASHINGTON, D. C. 20002
`
`GLENN D. MAGPANTAY
`Executive Director
`and Counsel
`NATIONAL QUEER ASIAN
`PACIFIC ISLANDER
`ALLIANCE, INC.
`P.O. Box 1277
`Old Chelsea Station
`New York, NY 10113
`217 West 18th Street, #1277
`New York, NY 10011
`(917) 439-3158
`
`
`
`IN THE
`Supreme Court of the United States
`————
`DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY, et al., Petitioners,
`v.
`REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, Respondents.
`————
`DONALD J. TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES, et al.,
`Petitioners,
`v.
`NATIONAL ASSOCIATION FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF
`COLORED PEOPLE, et al., Respondents.
`————
`KEVIN K. MCALEENAN, ACTING SECRETARY OF
`HOMELAND SECURITY, et al., Petitioners,
`v.
`MARTIN JONATHAN BATALLA VIDAL, et al., Respondents.
`————
`On Writs of Certiorari to the
`United States Courts of Appeals for the
`Ninth, District of Columbia, and Second Circuits
`————
`BRIEF OF THE NATIONAL QUEER ASIAN
`PACIFIC ISLANDER ALLIANCE AND
`OTHERS AS AMICI CURIAE
`IN SUPPORT OF RESPONDENTS
`————
`SUSAN M. FINEGAN
`Counsel of Record
`MEREDITH M. LEARY
`KAITLYN A. CROWE
`ANGEL FENG
`GEOFFREY A. FRIEDMAN
`RITHIKA KULATHILA
`MARGUERITE MCCONIHE
`MINTZ, LEVIN, COHN,
`FERRIS, GLOVSKY
`AND POPEO, P.C.
`One Financial Center
`Boston, MA 02111
`(617) 542-6000
`SMFinegan@Mintz.com
`Counsel for Amici Curiae
`WILSON-EPES PRINTING CO., INC. – (202) 789-0096 – WASHINGTON, D. C. 20002
`
`GLENN D. MAGPANTAY
`Executive Director
`and Counsel
`NATIONAL QUEER ASIAN
`PACIFIC ISLANDER
`ALLIANCE, INC.
`P.O. Box 1277
`Old Chelsea Station
`New York, NY 10113
`217 West 18th Street, #1277
`New York, NY 10011
`(917) 439-3158
`
`
`
`TABLE OF CONTENTS
`
`TABLE OF AUTHORITIES ................................
`INTEREST OF AMICI CURIAE ........................
`SUMMARY OF ARGUMENT .............................
`ARGUMENT ........................................................
`I. LGBTQ API DACA recipients will face
`criminal penalties, imprisonment, dis-
`crimination, and violence (including death)
`if they are removed to their countries of
`birth ...........................................................
`II. The tens of thousands of LGBTQ DACA
`recipients, especially those who pub-
`lically identified themselves as such, will
`be at increased risk for discrimination
`and mistreatment if DACA is rescinded ...
`CONCLUSION ....................................................
`APPENDIX
`List of Amici Curiae .........................................
`
`
`
`
`Page
`ii
`1
`3
`5
`
`5
`
`20
`30
`
`1a
`
`(i)
`
`
`
`ii
`TABLE OF AUTHORITIES
`
`Page(s)
`
`22
`
`28
`
`28
`
`CASES
`Hively v. Ivy Tech Cmty.
`College of Ind.,
`853 F.3d 339 (7th Cir. 2017) .....................
`Lawrence v. Texas,
`539 U.S. 558 (2003) ............................... 7, 11, 22
`Li v. Ashcroft,
`356 F.3d 1153 (9th Cir. 2004) ...................
`Nelson v. INS,
`232 F.3d 258 (1st Cir. 2000) .....................
`Obergefell v. Hodges,
`135 S. Ct. 2584 (2015) ..............................passim
`Regents of the Univ. of Calif. v.
`U.S. Dep’t Homeland Sec.,
`908 F.3d 476 (9th Cir. 2018) .....................
`Zarda v. Altitude Express, Inc.,
`855 F.3d 76 (2d Cir. 2017) ........................
`STATUTES AND REGULATIONS
`8 U.S.C. § 101 ...............................................
`8 U.S.C. § 1158 .............................................
`18 U.S.C. § 249 et seq. ..................................
`Executive Order No. 13087, 63 Fed. Reg.
`30097 (May 28, 1998) ................................
`Cal Health & Saf Code Div. 104, Pt. 5,
`Art. 5 (2016) ..............................................
`N.J. Stat. § 18A:35-4.36 (2019) ....................
`N.Y. Exec. Law § 296 (Consol. 2019) ...........
`
`
`22
`22
`22
`
`29
`
`22
`
`28
`5
`22
`
`22
`
`
`
`7
`
`9
`
`9
`
`9
`
`8
`
`8
`
`9
`
`iii
`TABLE OF AUTHORITIES—Continued
`FOREIGN STATUTES
`Page(s)
`BANGL. PENAL CODE, Act No. XLV of 1860,
`§ 377 (Oct. 6, 1860) ...................................
`BHUTAN PENAL CODE, Act of 2004,
`§§ 213–14 ...................................................
`BRUNEI PENAL CODE, Ch. 22 of 1951, § 377
`(Revised Ed. 2001) ....................................
`BRUNEI SYARIAH PENAL CODE ORDER,
`Part IV, Ch. 1 §§ 69, 82 (2013) .................
`MALAYSIA PENAL CODE, Act No. 574,
`§ 377A of 2015 ...........................................
`MALAYSIA PENAL CODE, Act No. 574,
`§ 377B of 2015 ...........................................
`MALDIVES PENAL CODE, Law No. 6/2014,
`§411 ...........................................................
`MILITARY CRIMINAL ACT (SOUTH KOREA),
`Article 92-6 ................................................
`MYANMAR PENAL CODE, Act 45/1850,
`Revised Edition, § 377 ..............................
`PAKISTAN PENAL CODE, Act No. XLV of
`1860, § 294 (Oct. 6, 1860) .........................
`PAKISTAN PENAL CODE, Act No. XLV of
`1860, § 377 (Oct. 6, 1860) .........................
`SINGAPORE PENAL CODE, No. 2 of 2008
`(Revised Ed.), § 295 (Jan. 28, 2008) .........
`SINGAPORE PENAL CODE, No. 2 of 2008
`(Revised Ed.), § 354 (Jan. 28, 2008) .........
`
`28
`
`9
`
`7
`
`7
`
`9
`
`9
`
`
`
`
`
`iv
`TABLE OF AUTHORITIES—Continued
`Page(s)
`
`
`
`9
`
`9
`
`9
`
`
`SINGAPORE PENAL CODE, No. 2 of 2008
`(Revised Ed.), § 377a (Jan. 28, 2008) .......
`SRI LANKA PENAL CODE, Act No. 22 of
`1995, § 365 ................................................
`SRI LANKA PENAL CODE, Act No. 22 of
`1995, § 365A ..............................................
`OTHER AUTHORITIES
`#Outlawed the Love That Dare Not Speak
`its Name, HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH, http://
`internap.hrw.org/features/features/lgbt_
`laws/ (last visited Sept. 24, 2019) .............
`A Survey of LGBT Americans, PEW RES.
`CTR. SOC. & DEMOGRAPHIC TRENDS (June
`13, 2013), https://www.pewsocialtrends.org/
`2013/06/13/a-survey-of-lgbt-americans/ ...
`Aengus Carroll & Lucas Ramón Mendos,
`State-Sponsored Homophobia: A world
`survey of sexual orientation laws: crimi-
`nalization, protection and recognition,
`INTERNATIONAL LESBIAN, GAY, BISEXUAL,
`TRANS AND INTERSEX ASSOCIATION (ILGA)
`(May 2017), https://ilga.org/downloads/
`2017/ILGA_State_Sponsored_Homophob
`ia_2017_WEB.pdf.............................. 7, 8, 17, 19
`Anamika Singh, More LGBT people are
`expressing their love openly, however they
`are also being targeted, FIJIVILLAGE
`(Nov. 20, 2017), https://fijivillage.com/ne
`ws-feature/More-LGBT-people-are-expre
`ssing-their-love-openly-however-they-are-
`also-being-targeted-k9s25r/ ......................
`
`6
`
`25
`
`14
`
`
`
`v
`TABLE OF AUTHORITIES—Continued
`Page(s)
`Annie Banerji, Mind your own business:
`Small firms opt out as India Inc races to
`be LGBT-friendly, REUTERS (Feb. 12,
`2019, 5:16 AM), https://www.reuters.com/
`article/us-india-lgbt-business/mind-your-
`own-business-small-firms-opt-out-as-ind
`ia-inc-races-to-be-lgbt-friendly-idUSKCN
`1Q113D ......................................................
`Ben Bavinton et al., Secret Lives, Other
`Voices: A community-based study explor-
`ing male-to-male sex, gender identity and
`HIV transmission risk in Fiji, AIDS TASK
`FORCE OF FIJI (2011), https://www.aids
`datahub.org/sites/default/files/document
`s/secret_lives_other_voices_research-rep
`ort33.pdf ....................................................
`Cai Wilkinson et al., LGBT Rights in
`Southeast Asia: One Step Forward, Two
`Steps Back?, IAFOR J. OF ASIAN STUD.
`(2017) ......................................................... 16, 19
`Chris Horton, After a Long Fight, Taiwan’s
`Same-Sex Couples Celebrate New Mar-
`riages, N.Y. TIMES, May 25, 2019 .............
`DACA Stories, Bupendra (Bupen) Ram,
`SAALT, http://saalt.org/policy-change/im
`migrant-rights/daca-stories/bupendra-bu
`pen-ram/ (last visited Sept. 27, 2019) ......
`Feifei Sun, Behind the Cover: America’s
`Undocumented Immigrants, TIME (June
`14, 2012) ....................................................
`
`23
`
`12
`
`13
`
`
`
`
`
`18
`
`24
`
`
`
`
`
`24
`
`13
`
`28
`
`vi
`TABLE OF AUTHORITIES—Continued
`Page(s)
`Fiji PM’s gay marriage comments shock,
`RNZ (Jan. 6, 2016, 7:31 PM), https://www.
`rnz.co.nz/international/pacific-news/293
`597/fiji-pm’s-gay-marriage-comments-sh
`ock ..............................................................
`Gustavo López & Jens Krogstad, Key facts
`about unauthorized immigrants enrolled
`in DACA, PEW RES. CTR. (Sep. 25, 2017),
`http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/20
`17/09/25/key-facts-about-unauthorized-im
`migrants-enrolled-in-daca/ .......................
`Halt the Hate, AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL
`INDIA (Mar. 5 2019, 10:49 AM), https://
`amnesty.org.in/news-update/over-200-all
`eged-hate-crimes-in-2018-reveals-halt-the-
`hate-website/ ..............................................
`Indonesia’s Aceh Resumes Public Caning
`Despite Pledge to Curb Access, REUTERS
`(July 13, 2018, 7:58 AM), https://www.
`reuters.com/article/us-indonesia-aceh-ca
`ning/indonesias-aceh-resumes-public-ca
`ning-despite-pledge-to-curb-access-idUS
`KBN1K31N1 ..............................................
`Indonesia: Draft Criminal Code Disastrous
`for Rights, HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH (Sept.
`18, 2019), https://www.hrw.org/news/20
`19/09/18/indonesia-draft-criminal-code-dis
`astrous-rights ............................................
`Jeffrey Gettleman et al., India Gay Sex Ban
`Is Struck Down. ‘Indefensible,’ Court
`Says, N.Y. TIMES, Sept. 7, 2018................
`
`10
`
`9
`
`12
`
`
`
`10
`
`10
`
`vii
`TABLE OF AUTHORITIES—Continued
`Page(s)
`Jon Emont, 2 Men in Indonesia Sentenced
`to Caning for Having Gay Sex, N.Y.
`TIMES, May 18, 2018 .................................
`Jon Emont, Indonesia Police Arrest 141
`Men Accused of Having Gay Sex Party,
`N.Y. TIMES, May 23, 2017.........................
`Kerith Conron & Taylor N.T. Brown, There
`are Over 75,000 LGBT DREAMers;
`36,000 Have Participated in DACA, THE
`WILLIAMS INST., UCLA School of Law, n.3
`(Feb. 2017), https://williamsinstitute.law.
`ucla.edu/wp-content/uploads/LGBT-DRE
`AMers-and-DACA-February-2017.pdf. ....
`Kyle Knight, Indonesia’s anti-LGBT drive
`should concern all Asia, HUMAN RIGHTS
`WATCH (Feb. 20, 2018, 1:42 PM), https://
`www.hrw.org/news/2018/02/20/indonesia
`s-anti-lgbt-drive-should-concern-all-asia ...
`Kyle Knight, Indonesian Militant Islamists,
`Police Raid Gay Gathering, HUMAN RIGHTS
`WATCH (Nov. 29, 2016), https://www.
`hrw.org/news/2016/11/29/indonesian-mil
`itant-islamists-police-raid-gay-gathering ...
`Kwentong Bebot: Lived Experiences of
`Lesbians, Bisexual and Transgender
`Women in the Philippines, RAINBOW
`RIGHTS PROJECT (2013), https://www.
`outrightinternational.org/sites/default/fil
`es/phillipinescc.pdf ....................................
`
`15
`
`
`
`
`
`20
`
`17
`
`10
`
`
`
`viii
`TABLE OF AUTHORITIES—Continued
`
`
`
`Page(s)
`
`7
`
`LGBTI Rights, AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL,
`https://www.amnesty.org/en/what-we-do/
`discrimination/lgbt-rights/ (last visited
`Sept. 24, 2019) ...........................................
`Liam Fox, Murdered on International day
`against Transphobia: fears Fiji killing is
`a hate crime, ABC NEWS (July 23, 2018,
`5:06 AM), https://www.abc.net.au/news/
`2018-07-23/trans-woman-murdered-in-fiji-
`in-suspect ed-hate-crime/10026188 ..........
`Lim Meng Suang et al. v. Attorney General,
`Court of Appeal of Republic of Singapore
`(October 29, 2014), https://www.supreme
`court.gov.sg/docs/default-source/ module-
`document/judgement/-2014-sgca-53-pdf.
`pdf ..............................................................
`Lucas Ramón Mendos, State-Sponsored
`2019,
`INTERNATIONAL
`Homophobia
`LESBIAN, GAY, BISEXUAL, TRANS AND
`INTERSEX ASSOCIATION (ILGA) (March
`2019), https://ilga.org/downloads/ILGA_
`State_Sponsored_Homophobia_2019.
`pdf .............................................................passim
`Malaysia: Two Women Face Caning for
`Same-Sex Conduct, HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH
`(Aug. 21, 2018), https://www.hrw.org/
`news/2018/08/21/malaysia-two-women-fa
`ce-caning-same-sex-conduct .....................
`M.V. Lee Badgett et al., LGBT Exclusion in
`Indonesia and Its Economic Effects, THE
`WILLIAMS INSTITUTE (2017) ............ 9, 12, 17, 19
`
`14
`
`17
`
`8
`
`
`
`ix
`TABLE OF AUTHORITIES—Continued
`Page(s)
`Neela Ghosal & Thilaga Sulathireh, “The
`Deceased Can’t Speak for Herself:” Vio-
`lence Against LGBT People in Malaysia,
`GEO. J. OF INT’L AFF. (2019) ........................... 15
`Nicole Svajlenka & Audrey Singer,
`Immigration Facts: Deferred Action for
`Childhood Arrivals (DACA), BROOKINGS
`METRO. POL’Y PROGRAM (Aug. 14, 2013)
`https://www.brookings.edu/research/imm
`igration-facts-deferred-action-for-childh
`ood-arrivals-daca/......................................
`Brunei Prime Minister’s Office, Press
`Statement (March 30, 2019) .....................
`Sam Hananel, Release: LGBT Immigrants
`in Detention Centers at Severe Risk of
`Sexual Abuse, CAP Analysis Says, CTR.
`FOR AMERICAN PROGRESS (May 30, 2018),
`https://www.americanprogress.org/press/
`release/2018/05/30/451380/release-lgbt-im
`migrants-detention-centers-severe-risk-
`sexual-abuse-cap-analysis-says/ ...............
`Sharita Gruberg, ICE’s Rejection of Its Own
`Rules Is Placing LGBT Immigrants at
`Severe Risk of Sexual Abuse, CTR. FOR
`AMERICAN PROGRESS (May 30, 2018, 12:00
`PM), https://www.americanprogress.org/
`issues/lgbt/news/2018/05/30/451294/ices-
`rejection-rules-placing-lgbt-immigrants-
`severe-risk-sexual-abuse/ .........................
`
`26
`
`21
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`9
`
`
`
`
`
`
`27
`
`
`
`21
`
`x
`TABLE OF AUTHORITIES—Continued
`Page(s)
`Sharita Gruberg, What Ending DACA
`Means for LGBTQ Dreamers, CTR. FOR
`AMERICAN PROGRESS (Oct. 11, 2017, 11:08
`AM), https://www.americanprogress.org/
`issues/lgbt/news/2017/10/11/440450/endi
`ng-daca-means-lgbtq-dreamers/ ...............
`Social Media Fact Sheet, PEW RES. CTR.,
`INTERNET & TECH., (June 12, 2019),
`https://www.pewinternet.org/fact-sheet/
`social-media/. .............................................
`South Korea: Military
`‘Sodomy’ Law
`Violates Rights, Human Rights Watch
`(March 7, 2019, 1:00 AM), https://www.
`hrw.org/news/2019/03/07/south-korea-mi
`litary-sodomy-law-violates-rights ............
`Sushmita Pathak & Furkan Latif Khan,
`India’s Anti-Gay Law Is History. Next
`Challenge: Treat LGBTQ Patients with
`Respect, NPR (Sept. 17, 2018, 1:26 PM),
`https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandso
`da/2018/09/17/645279722/indias-anti-gay-
`law-is-history-next-challenge-treat-lgbtq-
`patients-with-respect ................................
`Suva Shahani Mala, Attack On Gay Men
`Condemned, FIJI SUN (Feb. 7, 2017),
`http://fijisun.com.fj/2017/02/07/attack-on-
`gay-men-condemned/ ................................
`
`25
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`13
`
`12
`
`14
`
`
`
`
`
`13
`
`14
`
`21
`
`xi
`TABLE OF AUTHORITIES—Continued
`Page(s)
`Timothy Rich & Isabel Eliassen, What’s
`Behind South Korea’s Persistent LGBT
`Intolerance?, THE DIPLOMAT (March 19,
`2019), https://thediplomat.com/2019/03/
`whats-behind-south-koreas-persistent-lgbt-
`intolerance/ ................................................
`Tokada Rainima, No arrest yet on Vesida
`murder, FBC NEWS (Oct. 12, 2017, 1:20
`AM), https://www.fbcnews.com.fj/news/no-
`arrests-yet-on-vesida-murder/ (last visited
`Sept. 24, 2019) ...........................................
`Tom K. Wong et al., 2017 National DACA
`Study (Nov. 2, 2017), https://cdn.amer
`icanprogress.org/content/uploads/2017/1
`1/02125251/2017_DACA_study_economi
`c_report_updated.pdf ................................
`Tom K. Wong et al., 2019 National DACA
`Study (Sept. 19, 2019), https://cdn.amer
`icanprogress.org/content/uploads/2019/0
`9/18122133/New-DACA-Survey-2019-Fin
`al-1.pdf ....................................................... 6, 21
`Uncovering Our Stories: Bupendra Ram,
`National Queer Asian Pacific Islander
`Alliance (Aug. 24, 2013), https://www.
`nqapia.org/wpp/uncovering-our-stories-bu
`pendra/ ......................................................
`Uncovering Our Stories: Tony Choi, National
`Queer Asian Pacific Islander Alliance
`(Oct. 11, 2013), https://www.nqapia.org/
`wpp/uncovering-our-stories-tony-choi/ .......
`
`24
`
`
`
`22
`
`
`
`
`
`8
`
`12
`
`10
`
`15
`
`17
`
`xii
`TABLE OF AUTHORITIES—Continued
`Page(s)
`U.N. DEV. PROGRAMME & U.S. AGENCY INT’L
`DEV., Being LGBT in Asia: Cambodia
`Country Report (2014) ..............................
`U.N. DEV. PROGRAMME & U.S. AGENCY INT’L
`DEV., Being LGBT
`in Asia: China
`Country Report (2014) ..............................
`U.N. DEV. PROGRAMME & U.S. AGENCY INT’L
`DEV., Being LGBT in Asia: Indonesia
`Country Report (2014) ..............................
`U.N. DEV. PROGRAMME & U.S. AGENCY INT’L
`DEV., Being LGBT in Asia: The Philippines
`Country Report (2014) ..............................
`U.N. DEV. PROGRAMME & U.S. AGENCY INT’L
`DEV., Being LGBT in Asia: Thailand
`Country Report (2014) ..............................
`U.S. CITIZENSHIP & IMMIGRATION SERVS.,
`Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals:
`Response to January 2018 Preliminary
`Injunction (July 17, 2019) ........................
`U.S. CITIZENSHIP & IMMIGRATION SERVS.,
`Number of Form I-821D, Consideration
`of Deferred Action for Childhood Arri-
`vals, by Fiscal Year, Quarter, Intake and
`Case Status Fiscal Year 2012-2019 (June
`30, 2019) ....................................................
`U.S. DEP’T OF HOMELAND SECURITY, Exer-
`cising Prosecutorial Discretion with Respect
`to Individuals Who Came to the United
`States as Children (June 12, 2012) ..........
`
`20
`
`5
`
`
`
`21
`
`
`
`
`
`8
`
`16
`
`xiii
`TABLE OF AUTHORITIES—Continued
`Page(s)
`U.S. DEP’T OF STATE, BUREAU OF DEMOC-
`RACY, H.R. AND LAB., Malaysia 2018
`Human Rights Report (2018) ....................
`U.S. DEP’T OF STATE, BUREAU OF
`DEMOCRACY, H.R. AND LAB., Laos 2018
`Human Rights Report (2018) ....................
`U.S. DEP’T OF STATE, BUREAU OF
`DEMOCRACY, H.R. AND LAB., Maldives
`2018 Human Rights Report (2018) ...........
`What is LGBTQ?, THE LESBIAN, GAY,
`BISEXUAL & TRANSGENDER COMMUNITY
`CENTER, https://gaycenter.org/about/lgbtq/
`#queer (last visited Sept. 24, 2019) ............ 1, 23
`Yvette Tan, Brunei implements stoning to
`death under anti-LGBT laws, BBC (Apr.
`3, 2019), https://www.bbc.com/news/wo
`rld-asia-47769964 .....................................
`Zenén Jaimes Pérez, A Portrait of Deferred
`Action for Childhood Arrivals Recipients:
`Challenges and Opportunities Three-Years
`Later, UNITED WE DREAM (Oct. 2015),
`https://unitedwedream.org/wp-content/up
`loads/2015/10/DACA-report-final-1.pdf. ..
`
`16
`
`9
`
`20
`
`
`
`INTEREST OF AMICI CURIAE1
`The National Queer Asian Pacific Islander Alliance
`(“NQAPIA”) is a federation of lesbian, gay, bisexual,
`transgender and queer or questioning (“LGBTQ”)2
`Asian and Pacific Islander (“API”) organizations.
`NQAPIA unites local groups, develops leadership, pro-
`motes visibility, educates the community, invigorates
`grassroots organizing, encourages collaboration, and
`challenges anti-LGBTQ bias and racism. NQAPIA
`spearheads educational and advocacy campaigns in
`support of LGBTQ immigrants’ rights.
`NQAPIA member groups and ally LGBTQ organiza-
`tions are deeply troubled by the Trump Administration’s
`attempt to rescind DACA and the significant risk that
`LGBTQ undocumented immigrants will face removal
`to countries that criminalize homosexuality, discrimi-
`nate and marginalize LGBTQ individuals, and put
`them at undue risk of violence because of their LGBTQ
`status.
`The following NQAPIA member groups and ally
`LGBTQ organizations join this brief as amici curiae
`and a statement of interest from each organization is
`attached as an Appendix to this brief:
`
`
`1 Pursuant to Supreme Court Rule 37.6, counsel for amici
`certify that they authored this brief in its entirety and that no
`party or its counsel, nor any other person or entity other than
`amici or their counsel, made a monetary contribution to this
`brief’s preparation or submission. The parties have consented to
`the filing of this brief.
`2 “LGBTQ is an acronym for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender
`and queer or questioning. These terms are used to describe a
`person’s sexual orientation or gender identity.” What is LGBTQ?,
`THE LESBIAN, GAY, BISEXUAL & TRANSGENDER COMMUNITY CENTER,
`https://gaycenter.org/about/lgbtq/#queer (last visited Sept. 24, 2019).
`
`
`
`2
`• API Equality – Northern California (APIENC);
`• API Rainbow Parents of PFLAG NYC;
`• APICHA Community Health Center –
`New York City;
`• Asian and Pacific Islander Queers
`United for Action (AQUA);
`• Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance
`(AFL-CIO);
`• Asian Pacific Islander Queer Women and
`Transgender Community – San Francisco;
`• ATL Q+A – Atlanta;
`• Equality Federation;
`• Gay Asian and Pacific Islander Men of
`New York (GAPIMNY);
`• Gay Asian Pacific Alliance (GAPA) –
`San Francisco;
`• GLBT Fund of America, Philadelphia;
`• GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders (GLAD);
`• Immigration Equality;
`• Invisible to Invincible Asian Pacific Pride of
`Chicago (i2i);
`• KhushATX;
`• Korean American Rainbow Parents (KARP) –
`Washington D.C.;
`• Korean Queer and Transgender Organization
`of Washington D.C.;
`• Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund;
`• Los Angeles LGBT Center;
`
`
`
`3
`• National Black Justice Coalition;
`• National LGBTQ Task Force;
`• Our Space LGBT Youth Center;
`• OutRight Action International;
`• Philadelphia Asian & Queer (PAQ);
`• PFLAG;
`• PFLAG – San Gabriel Valley Chapter Asian
`Pacific Islander;
`• Queer South Asian Collective Community –
`Boston;
`• Q-WAVE;
`• SAGE NYC;
`• SALGA NYC;
`• San Francisco LGBT Center;
`• Satrang Los Angeles;
`• Transgender Legal Defense and
`Education Fund;
`• Trikone; and
`• UTOPIA Seattle.
`SUMMARY OF ARGUMENT
`There are tens of thousands of individuals who
`identify as LGBTQ and received protection under the
`Deferred Action for Childhood arrivals (“DACA”) policy,
`many of whom were born in API nations. Without the
`protection afforded by DACA, those children, many of
`whom have now grown to be young adults who have
`only ever known the United States as home, will be
`subject to removal proceedings to their countries of
`birth. These children often have no memory of their
`
`
`
`4
`birth countries nor have they visited their countries of
`birth since they arrived in the United States in their
`infancy or young childhood. Many have no connections
`to their country of birth; indeed they may not know
`anyone there. Should they be removed, it is likely that
`they would have no shelter, no resources, no ability to
`earn income, nor even an ability to speak the local
`language. In sum, should DACA be rescinded, these
`children and young adults will be unceremoniously
`dispatched with no safety net to a country wholly
`unknown to them.
`Moreover, if DACA is rescinded, many LGBTQ API
`DACA recipients are almost certain to face harass-
`ment, discrimination, criminal prosecution, violence
`and even death by virtue of their sexual orientation
`and/or gender identity. LGBTQ API DACA recipients
`from these nations will also lose substantial civil pro-
`tections afforded them in the United States, including
`the right to marry, the ability to seek medical care, and/or
`the ability to earn a living without discrimination.
`Many LGBTQ DACA recipients have been open
`and transparent about their sexual orientation and/or
`gender identity while living in the United States, have
`engaged in LGBTQ activism, and have publicly dis-
`closed their LGBTQ status in their communities,
`through their online identities and otherwise. In this
`digital age, if these openly LGBTQ DACA recipients
`are removed, there is no realistic way to put this “genie
`back in the bottle.” The rescission of DACA will un-
`avoidably put these individuals in danger of criminal
`prosecution, discrimination, violence and even death
`in their country of birth because of their sexual orien-
`tation and/or gender identity. The great promise of
`DACA was the freedom from fear of removal, and the
`liberating sense of security that permitted DACA re-
`
`
`
`5
`cipients to build their lives in America authentically,
`including being open about their sexual orientation
`and/or gender identity, without shame of being
`“undocumented.” Rescinding DACA not only revokes
`that promise but, even more cruelly, puts some of the
`most vulnerable DACA recipients in even greater
`danger than they may have been in had DACA never
`been in place.
`
`ARGUMENT
`I. LGBTQ API DACA recipients will face
`criminal penalties,
`imprisonment, dis-
`crimination, and violence (including death)
`if they are removed to their countries of
`birth
`For LGBTQ children and young adults who (1) have
`been prevented from applying for DACA as a result of
`the government halting the policy, or (2) are current
`DACA recipients who may lose their ability to renew
`their status if the policy is ended, the rescission of DACA
`means the risk of immediate removal to a detention
`facility followed by removal to their country of birth.3
`Many undocumented immigrants who qualify for
`or have received DACA share a tangible, and real-
`istic, fear of what being removed to their birth
`countries—countries that their families fled for fear of
`persecution, poverty, and/or violence—would mean.
`In a recent survey of DACA recipients, approximately
`80% of surveyed respondents indicated concern for
`their physical safety, and the physical safety of their
`
`3 See U.S. CITIZENSHIP & IMMIGRATION SERVS., Deferred Action
`for Childhood Arrivals: Response to January 2018 Preliminary
`Injunction (July 17, 2019). Further, many of these individuals
`have been in the United States for over 1 year, making them
`ineligible for asylum protections. 8 U.S.C. § 1158 (2)(B).
`
`
`
`6
`families, if they were to return to their countries of
`birth.4
`For LGBTQ DACA recipients, that concern is even
`more acute. Approximately seventy countries worldwide
`still criminalize and punish same-sex relationships
`and same-sex sexual activity and impose extensive
`penalties, including life in prison.5 Numerous countries
`sentence people engaged in consensual same-sex rela-
`tionships to death as punishment.6 Further, and as
`discussed below, the circumstances can be dire even
`in the absence of the criminalization of sexual
`orientation and/or gender identity due to rampant
`discrimination, bias, and significantly increased rates
`of violence by private actors against LGBTQ individ-
`uals. In such countries, rescinding DACA can be
`tantamount to a death sentence.
`The cruelty of reversing DACA for this vulnerable
`population is evident from the laws and customs in the
`API nations where DACA recipients may be forced to
`return if the rescission of DACA is upheld.
`
`
`4 Tom K. Wong et al., 2019 National DACA Study, at 7 (Sept.
`19, 2019), https://cdn.americanprogress.org/content/uploads/2019/
`09/18122133/New-DACA-Survey-2019-Final-1.pdf [hereinafter Wong
`et al.].
`5 Lucas Ramón Mendos, State-Sponsored Homophobia 2019,
`INTERNATIONAL LESBIAN, GAY, BISEXUAL, TRANS AND INTERSEX
`ASSOCIATION (ILGA), at 15 (March 2019), https://ilga.org/down
`loads/ILGA_State_Sponsored_Homophobia_2019.pdf [hereinafter
`State-Sponsored Homophobia (2019)]; #Outlawed the Love That
`Dare Not Speak its Name, HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH, http://
`internap.hrw.org/features/ features/lgbt_laws/.
`6 State-Sponsored Homophobia (2019), supra note 5, at 15-16;
`#Outlawed the Love That Dare Not Speak its Name, Human
`Rights Watch, http://internap.hrw.org/features/features/lgbt_laws/.
`
`
`
`7
`Criminal Prohibitions and the Death Penalty:
`Many API countries still criminalize same-sex sexual
`activity and relationships, posing a grave threat to the
`LGBTQ DACA recipients from these countries if they
`are forced to return, especially where they are not
`closeted. The mere fact that such laws exist signifi-
`cantly impairs the liberty and “autonomy of self that
`includes freedom of thought, belief, expression, and
`certain intimate conduct” for LGBTQ individuals in
`these countries. Lawrence v. Texas, 539 U.S. 558, 562
`(2003).
`For example, Bangladesh—a country of over 150
`million people—criminalizes all sexual activity between
`men, with a punishment of ten years and up to life
`in prison.7 Pakistan criminalizes a broadly-worded
`category of “obscene acts” and same-sex activity.8
`Punishment is severe: two to ten years imprisonment9
`and possible penalty by death.10 In Afghanistan, United
`
`
`7 BANGL. PENAL CODE, Act No. XLV of 1860, § 377 (Oct. 6,
`1860).
`8 PAKISTAN PENAL CODE, Act No. XLV of 1860, § 294 (Oct. 6,
`1860); see also Aengus Carroll & Lucas Ramón Mendos, State-
`Sponsored Homophobia: A world survey of sexual orientation
`laws: criminalization, protection and recognition, INTERNATIONAL
`LESBIAN, GAY, BISEXUAL, TRANS AND INTERSEX ASSOCIATION
`(ILGA), at 133 (May 2017), https://ilga.org/downloads/2017/ILGA
`_State_Sponsored _Homophobia_2017_WEB.pdf [hereinafter State-
`Sponsored Homophobia (2017)].
`9 PAKISTAN PENAL CODE, Act No. XLV of 1860, §§ 294, 377 (Oct.
`6, 1860).
`10 Id.; State-Sponsored Homophobia (2019), supra note 5, at
`15–16; LGBTI Rights, AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL, https://www.
`amnesty.org/en/what-we-do/discrimination/lgbt-rights/ (last visited
`Sept. 24, 2019).
`
`
`
`8
`Arab Emirates, Yemen, Iran, Brunei, and Saudi
`Arabia, homosexuality is also punishable by death.11
`Malaysia criminalizes certain same-sex sexual activity
`with punishment of up to twenty years in prison,
`and punishes consensual same-sex intercourse with
`lashings.12 In September of 2018, two women were
`sentenced to caning in Malaysia after allegedly
`attempting to engage in same-sex relations.13 There
`are also many reports of state-sanctioned violence
`and discrimination against LGBTQ individuals who
`are found to violate Malaysian law. The 2018
`U.S. State Department Malaysia 2018 Human Rights
`Report includes reports from local advocates stating
`that “imprisoned transgender women served their sen-
`tences in prisons designated for men and that police
`and inmates often abused them verbally and sex-
`ually.”14 LGBTQ Cambodians also face documented
`discrimination as a result of laws giving police broad
`authority to enforce security and public order.15
`Bhutan criminalizes same-sex sexual activity as
`“unnatural” and punishes by imprisonment, as does
`
`
`11 State-Sponsored Homophobia (2019), supra note 5, at 15–16;
`see also BRUNEI SYARIAH PENAL CODE ORDER, Part IV, Ch. 1
`§§ 69, 82 (2013).
`12 MALAYSIA PENAL CODE, Act No. 574, §§ 377A, 377B (2015).
`13 State-Sponsored Homophobia (2017), supra note 8, at 131;
`Malaysia: Two Women Face Caning for Same-Sex Conduct,
`HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH (Aug. 21, 2018), https://www.hrw.org/new
`s/2018/08/21/malaysia-two-women-face-caning-same-sex-conduct.
`14 U.S. DEP’T OF STATE, BUREAU OF DEMOCRACY, H.R. AND LAB.,
`Malaysia 2018 Human Rights Report, at 29 (2018).
`15 U.N. DEV. PROGRAMME & U.S. AGENCY FOR INT’L DEV., Being
`LGBT in Asia: Cambodia Country Report, at 8, 21, 31-32 (2014).
`
`
`
`9
`Singapore and the Maldives.16 Myanmar punishes
`same-sex relations with imprisonment for up to ten
`years, as does Sri Lanka.17 Brunei’s penal code also
`provides for imprisonment for up to ten years.18
`Moreover, in April 2019, the government of Brunei
`fully implemented the Syariah Penal Code.19 Now,
`individuals in Brunei may also face death by stoning
`and/or whipping.20
`In Indonesia, recent changes to national law
`appeared to ostensibly protect the rights of LGBTQ
`individuals at the national level, but the 2019 proposed
`revisions to the Indonesian criminal code include a
`number of changes that, if passed, could be used to
`violate the rights of LGBTQ individuals.21 Indonesia
`also has local provinces and cities that already crimi-
`nalize homosexuality.22 In one such province in May
`
`
`16 BHUTAN PENAL CODE, Act of 2004, §§ 213–14; SINGAPORE
`PENAL CODE, No. 2 of 2008 (Revised Ed.), §§ 295, 354, 377a (Jan.
`28, 2008); MALDIVES PENAL CODE, Law No. 6/2014, § 411.
`17 MYANMAR PENAL CODE, Act 45/1850, Revised Edition, § 377;
`State-Sponsored Homophobia (2019), at 531–32; SRI LANKA
`PENAL CODE, Act No. 22 of 1995, §§ 365, 365A.
`18 BRUNEI PENAL CODE, Ch. 22 of 1951 (Revised Ed. 2001),
`§ 377 (Oct. 1, 2001).
`19 Brunei Prime Minister’s Office, Press Statement (March 30,
`2019).
`20 BRUNEI SYARIAH PENAL CODE ORDER, Part IV, Ch. 1, §§ 69,
`82 (2013); Yvette Tan, Brunei implements stoning to death under
`anti-LGBT laws, BBC (Apr. 3, 2019), https://www.bbc.com/
`news/world-asia-47769964.
`21 Indonesia: Draft Criminal Code Disastrous for Rights,
`HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH (Sept. 18, 2019), https://www.hrw.org/
`news/2019/09/18/indonesia-draft-criminal-code-disastrous-rights.
`22 M.V. Lee Badgett et al., LGBT Exclusion in Indonesia and
`Its Economic Effects, THE WILLIAMS INSTITUTE, at 5 (2017).
`
`
`
`10
`2017, two men were sentenced to eighty-five lashes
`in a public caning after being accused of having sex
`with each other.23 State-sanctioned discrimination
`and violence against LGBTQ in
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