Camila Toro de Paula fled Venezuela two years ago after surviving repeated violence, including childhood abuse and a stabbing by police when she was 14. She made the journey to the United States on foot, seeking asylum and a chance to live safely as herself. For a while, she found that safety in New York City, building a life among a community of other transgender women.

Last August, that safety ended. At what should have been a routine immigration check-in, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrested her and transferred her to a detention facility in Louisiana, where she has been held with men ever since.

Toro de Paula says the abuse never stopped, it just changed hands. She told The New York Times she has been locked in solitary confinement, denied regular access to water, physically assaulted, and forced to wear a mask and gloves in front of other detainees because she is HIV-positive, a humiliation she says was meant to shame her. "I'm afraid of dying here," Toro de Paula said in Spanish from inside the facility, according to The New York Times.

Her case reflects a wider policy shift. Protections that once addressed housing and medical care for transgender people in federal custody were eliminated in February 2025. The Department of Homeland Security denies that any detainee is being abused.

Nobody should have to fear for their life after seeking safety. ICE and DHS must independently investigate these allegations, ensure Toro de Paula receives the medical and HIV care she needs, and stop housing transgender detainees in facilities that do not match their gender identity.

Sign the petition to demand accountability, before Camila Toro de Paula's warning becomes a tragedy.