Transgender Illegal Immigrants Eligible For Taxpayer-Provided Hormone Therapy

Transgender illegal aliens are guaranteed hormone therapy while they are held by Border Patrol and immigration officers in U.S. detention facilities.

This taxpayer-funded benefit was disclosed by Kevin Landy of the federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency in a hearing Friday sponsored by the U.S. Civil Rights Commission. See clip embedded below.

Landy also revealed that a special housing unit exists in the Los Angeles, California, area for gay, bisexual, and transgender detainees. His testimony indicated that such individuals held in another prison elsewhere in the U.S. can be transferred at their request to the Los Angeles unit if they feel unsafe in the general population.

As far as the hormone therapy issue is concerned, according to WesternJournalism.com, “Beyond serving merely to protect these illegals, the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights recently asserted transgender detainees have a ‘right’ to procedures meant to aid their transition from one sex to another.”

Testifying at the hearing in Washington, Landy detailed the Obama administration’s policy for transgender illegal immigrant detainees as it relates to ongoing hormone treatment.

“With respect to treatment while in detention — the medical care standard — the standards guarantees a right to hormone therapy for individuals who need it for treatment, and even in facilities that are not covered by that standard. Our ICE House Service Corps is very vigilant on that issue to ensuring that individuals receive necessary hormone therapy.”

According to Civil Rights Commission Chairman Martin Castro, the Department of Homeland Security “is the largest agency that has custody of transgender individuals,” CNS News reported.

The 2011 ICE operations manual for detention facilities specifically addresses the issue of hormone therapy for illegal immigrants.

“Transgender detainees who were already receiving hormone therapy when taken into ICE custody shall have continued access. All transgender detainees shall have access to mental health care, and other transgender-related health care and medication based on medical need. Treatment shall follow accepted guidelines regarding medically necessary transition-related care.”

Separately and unrelated to the hormone therapy issue, last month Democrats on Capitol Hill concerned about alleged mistreatment in detention facilities “asked federal health officials… to take extra steps to protect gay illegal immigrant children from abuse while they’re in custody, including ensuring that transgender children are housed with the sex they identify as,” The Washington Times reported.

Do you think that taxpayer money should go to pay for hormone treatment for transgender illegal immigrants in U.S. custody?

[Image via Shutterstock]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OR-5Zrg5zMw