Trans immigration detainees will now be held in facilities that match their gender identity

(Image credit: John Moore/Getty Images)

U.S. immigration officials will start housing transgender immigrants in detention facilities that match their gender identity, the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency announced Monday.

"The Transgender Care Memorandum reaffirms ICE's commitment to provide a safe, secure, and respectful environment for all those in our custody, including those individuals who identify as transgender," said Thomas Homan, ICE Office of Enforcement and Removal Operations assistant director.

The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

A 2014 Fusion report found though transgender immigrants make up less than 1 percent of those detained by ICE each year, they account for one in five instances of sexual assault in detention facilities.

Explore More

Julie Kliegman is a freelance writer based in New York. Her work has appeared in BuzzFeed, Vox, Mental Floss, Paste, the Tampa Bay Times and PolitiFact. Her cats can do somersaults.