Latest news with #RahmaEsslouani
CBC
25-06-2025
- General
- CBC
Toronto charity no longer resettling 2SLGBTQ+ refugees in U.S. since Trump took office
Sitting in their Toronto apartment with their new partner, Rahma Esslouani says this past year has been the first time they've truly felt free. Esslouani, a 32-year-old nonbinary lesbian, grew up in Morocco, where homosexuality is a crime. In addition to fears of harassment and persecution, they say they faced overwhelming pressure at home to be more traditionally feminine. Their family would try to control their clothing and activities, they say, and in 2019, they tried to force them to marry a man, locking them in a closet and beating them when they refused. That's when Esslouani fled to Turkey, but they say things were no better there. "It was very hard to be myself," they said. Although homosexuality isn't illegal in Turkey, they say they faced the same violence and persecution and were still arrested for their sexual orientation. They say they were released after about a month, and decided to flee again, reaching out in 2023 to several organizations for help. Last year, Esslouani was one of over 300 2SLGBTQ+ refugees from 36 nations who were relocated with the help of Rainbow Railroad, a Toronto-based international charity that offers support to queer and trans people facing persecution around the world. "Now I'm trying to just focus on the future," said Esslouani, who is now in a relationship with a woman and settling into their life in Canada. "I am proud to openly go outside, to hold my partner's hand," they said. "That's something that I was dreaming of and it's something that … I didn't [think] that I would live it." Most Rainbow Railroad refugees come to Canada and are relocated through a special partnership with the federal government that was just renewed this year until the end of 2029, says Devon Matthews, head of programs for the charity. But the Canadian program is capped at 250 people a year and demand is high. Queer and trans people face state-sponsored homophobia and transphobia in more than 60 countries, Matthews says, and Rainbow Railroad received over 13,000 requests for help last year and over 9,000 already in 2025. In recent years, Rainbow Railroad sent a growing number of refugees to the U.S., but Matthews says that's stopped since U.S. President Donald Trump took office. "We're absolutely, really watching and really concerned about the rights rollback that's happening right now," she said. Pathways to U.S. closed for 2SLGBTQ+ refugees On his first day in the White House, Trump suspended the U.S. refugee assistance program used by Rainbow Railroad and issued an executive order to stop permitting refugees until it "aligns with the interests of the United States." His order said it would be U.S. policy "to admit only those refugees who can fully and appropriately assimilate" into the country. At that time, the charity already had 70 people pre-approved for resettlement in the U.S., Matthews says. Some people were only two to three weeks from being on a plane. It's forced the charity to shift gears. "What we're trying to do is make sure that this group of people who have been left stranded by the current administration, are able to be safe and build better lives here in Canada," she said. But Matthews says they'll have to start over at the bottom of the queue. Meanwhile, she says, "these people are in incredibly terrible circumstances" with fewer pathways out. "We have so few options. And the options that we had to resettle people in the United States were incredible," she said. "It's tragic." Rainbow Railroad still supporting refugees already in U.S. On top of that, Rainbow Railroad is now receiving requests from 2SLGBTQ+ Americans looking for help relocating, with over 1,200 inquiries coming in on Nov. 6, 2024 alone — the day after Trump was elected. Rainbow Railroad is continuing to support refugees who've already resettled to the U.S., Matthews says. That includes a 30-year-old gay man whom Rainbow Railroad relocated to Chicago from El Salvador just before the start of Trump's second presidency. CBC Toronto is not identifying the man, who is concerned his comments might affect his immigration status. The man says he still feels some hostility toward him in the U.S., as a Latino and a gay man, but ultimately moving to Chicago has been a healing experience that's allowed him to express his sexuality freely. He says he's heartbroken the path he took is now closed to others. "When I think of another person who cannot have that opportunity to change their life, it's so sad for me," he said.
CTV News
18-06-2025
- Politics
- CTV News
LGBTQ2S+ refugee group says number of requests for help has increased
Rahma Esslouani, a non-binary person from Morocco who came to Canada in July 2024 under the Government Assisted Refugee program, poses for a portrait at Barbara Hall Park, in Toronto, Tuesday, June 17, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Giordano Ciampini OTTAWA — An organization that helps LGBTQ2S+ people file refugee claims says it has seen a spike in pleas for assistance from around the world since 2020. Devon Matthews, program head with Rainbow Railroad, said the explosion in the number of requests for help reflects a trend of nations backsliding on LGBTQ2S+ rights — or even embracing a policy of persecution. 'This isn't just the United States that we're seeing this in,' she said. 'More broadly worldwide, we are seeing some particularly terrifying xenophobia, anti-refugee sentiment and queer phobia in many countries around the world, including in Europe and across different regions in which we work on the ground.' Republican state and federal officials in the U.S. have been working for years to limit the rights of LGBTQ2S+ Americans and have imposed rules on which sports transgender students can play and which bathrooms they can use, among other policies. The Rainbow Railroad says it's now working with Ottawa to divert from the U.S. to Canada a handful of refugee claims filed by LGBTQ2S+ claimants. Matthews said her organization was fielding 27 applications representing 36 people who were bound for the U.S. at the start of the year. Some of the applicants filed as couples. She said 28 of those applicants changed their minds about moving to the United States after President Donald Trump returned to the White House. 'So we've had to pivot our plans for those 28 individuals to come to Canada to the best of our abilities,' she said. 'Obviously, it's a very complex process to switch all of the different logistics and paperwork, and people are in extremely dire situations, but we've been doing what we can.' Matthews said that this kind of switch isn't allowed normally but Ottawa is making an exception. Matthews said these refugee claimants would not be covered by the Safe Third Country Agreement — which says an asylum seeker must stay in the first safe country they reach — because they have not entered the U.S. The claimants are currently living in Brazil, Columbia, Uganda and nine other African countries. A spokeswoman from Immigration Minister Lena Diab's office said in an emailed reply that the office can't comment on specific cases due to privacy legislation. She added that Canada has a 'proud history' of resettling vulnerable people, including LGBTQ2S+ refugees, and the government works with groups like Rainbow Railroad to identify LGBTQ2S+ refugees and their families for resettlement. Rahma Esslouani made it to Canada with Rainbow Railroad's help. Esslouani is originally from Morocco, where same-sex relationships are illegal. 'I faced violence, physically and psychologically, from my family, from society, discrimination, persecution. So I don't have rights to wear what I'm going to wear. I don't have rights to be myself, to be who I am. I have to follow the culture,' Esslouani said. 'My family wanted to force me to get married, so this makes me feel like I can't accept a marriage to a man. So that is the main and biggest reason to escape through Turkiye.' Esslouani said they faced continued persecution in Turkiye, where non-binary status is not recognized under the law. While it's not illegal to be in a same-sex relationship or to be gender non-conforming in Turkiye, so-called 'offences against public morals' have been used to target LGBTQ2S+ people. Esslouani said they were arrested in Turkiye. 'I realized that it is dangerous to exist and to be myself as queer, non-binary person,' they said. After that arrest, Esslouani contacted Rainbow Railroad. 'I remember the first the email that I received said, 'We are with you. You are not alone,'' Esslouani said. 'I read it again and again and again because of like, happiness with this world that finally someone heard my story and gives me hope, that I have to resist and not give up.' Esslouani finally came to Canada in July 2024, just missing Pride Month in Toronto. They said it's 'a dream come true' to live here after a lifetime of hiding. 'So finally, I'm going to be myself. I'm going to be out in public and can be myself and introduce my sexuality in public, and live, walk and talk freely and not be scared of the police or that people will judge me or to feel shame or afraid,' Esslouani said. 'There is love between people here. Everyone supports each other. There is no judgment, no fear. So I feel that I am no longer just surviving, but I am alive.' Rainbow Railroad receives a yearly allotment of 250 spots in Government Assisted Refugee program to help people like Esslouani come to Canada. This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 18, 2025. David Baxter, The Canadian Press
