The Trans Asylum Seekers Support Network

In crowded ICE detention facilities all along the U.S. border, trans and queer asylum seekers are waiting to plead their cases. Their circumstances are unique and varied, but their aim is the same—to live authentic, thriving lives without fear. 

It can be a long and cruel road, but the Trans Asylum Seekers Support Network (TASSN) is determined to ease their path. The mutual-aid group and direct action group is dedicated to helping trans and queer immigrants secure their freedom, obtain work permits, and heal from trauma. 

With our grant, volunteers with TASSN will be able to offer translation services for Zoom meetings, streamline their onboarding process with Jotform, and maintain a storage unit to keep supplies and other necessities for gender-affirming care in an accessible location. Easing the burden of those expenses allows TASSN to focus on the needs of its compañeres—the trans and queer immigrants themselves—all while continuing to build out a non-hierarchical, supportive network. In the words of one volunteer, “We do this work because we believe all of our liberations are bound together.”