Roxsana Hernandez

Case Summary

Roxsana-Hernandez-Diversidad

Photo of Roxsana Hernandez courtesy of Diversidad Sin Fronteras

Roxsana Hernandez was a Honduran transgender woman and an asylum seeker who arrived with a caravan organized by Diversidad Sin Fronteras. She arrived in Tijuana and sought asylum by presenting herself at the San Ysidro Port of Entry (SYPOE) in May. What followed was a hellish ordeal of being held in U.S. Customs & Border Protection custody in the notoriously cold holding areas, known as “hieleras,” growing increasingly ill as a result of the inhumane conditions. She was repeatedly denied access to medical care she begged for, ultimately dying in custody less than a month after presenting herself for asylum.

Transgender Law Center (TLC) and the Law Office of Andrew R. Free have filed a Notice of Wrongful Death Tort Claim in New Mexico, the first step in holding all parties responsible for Roxsana Hernandez’s death accountable. An independent autopsy conducted by TLC and the Law Office of Andrew R. Free found that she had deep bruising and injuries consistent with physical abuse with a baton or asp while she was handcuffed, and died of dehydration and complications related to HIV.

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Photo of Roxsana Hernandez, courtesy of Diversidad Sin Fronteras

LGBTQ and migrant rights activists block intersection in Albuquerque, NM, in August 2018 to demand justice for Roxsana. Photo credit: Transgender Law Center.

LGBTQ and migrant rights activists block intersection in Albuquerque, NM, in August 2018 to demand justice for Roxsana. Photo credit: Transgender Law Center.

LGBTQ and migrant rights activists block gather in Albuquerque, NM, in August 2018 to demand justice for Roxsana. Photo credit: Transgender Law Center.

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Justice for Roxsana: Announcing Legal Action To Hold Government Accountable for Transgender Asylum-Seeker’s Death

Queer & Trans Migrants of Color Shut Down Intersection in Albuquerque for Three Hours

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