Before I arrived in the United States, I was ingrained with the mentality that the country was synonymous with freedom outside the walls of this country.
But since I set foot in the US, just months before Donald Trump was elected to office, the narrative has changed.As an immigrant seeking protection from the US, I was immediately arrested at JFK International Airport and held at a detention center in New Jersey.
I was finally released into the streets a few months later but with no place to live. And sadly, my experience isn’t uncommon — especially now under the Trump administration.Queer immigrants of color, like myself, have always faced incredible challenges trying to get into the US as asylum-seekers and then trying to build a life.