Gay professional gamer detained by ICE fears deportation to Cameroon, where homosexuality is illegal

"He's an openly gay person. He won't be able to survive in Cameroon. Mbock's family now fears immigration authorities could deport him to the Central African country, where LGBTQ+ people have been subjected to arrests, violence, and harassment."

"The case arrives amid growing scrutiny of Trump administration immigration enforcement policies that advocates say place LGBTQ+ migrants at particular risk when deportation could send them to countries hostile to their identities."

"Recent reporting by The Advocate and the Associated Press has documented how migrants, including LGBTQ+ asylum seekers, have been deported not only to their home countries but also to third countries, a controversial practice that can place them in unfamiliar and dangerous environments."

Ludovic Mbock, a 38-year-old out gay professional gamer who immigrated to the United States as a teenager, was detained by ICE during a routine check-in appointment in Baltimore. He has since been transferred through multiple detention facilities across Louisiana and Georgia. His attorney warns that Mbock cannot survive in Cameroon, where LGBTQ+ individuals face arrests, violence, and harassment due to criminalized same-sex relationships. The case highlights Trump administration immigration enforcement policies that advocates argue disproportionately endanger LGBTQ+ migrants by deporting them to hostile countries. Recent documentation shows migrants, including LGBTQ+ asylum seekers, have been deported to third countries, placing them in dangerous unfamiliar environments.

Read at Advocate.com