ILGA–NAC Statement on State and Enforcement Violence

ILGA–NAC Statement on State and Enforcement Violence

January 27, 2026  – ILGA–North America and the Caribbean (ILGA-NAC) expresses deep concern about the escalating impacts of enforcement and policing practices on community safety, human rights, and public trust across the United States. The recent killings of Alex Pretti (January 24), and  Renee Nicole Good (January 7), as well as the increased use of force in Minneapolis have brought renewed attention to the urgent need for transparency, accountability and safeguards in state enforcement systems.

“What we are witnessing is a dangerous erosion of the line between protection and punishment,” said Sharon Mottley, Regional Program Manager of ILGA–North America and the Caribbean. “When acts of community care are met with lethal force, it signals a profound failure of systems meant to uphold human dignity, safety, and justice.”

Available accounts and videos of the incidents suggest that both Alex and Renee were engaged in acts of community care, attempting to assist or protect or stand in solidarity with their neighbours and fellow community members in their moments of distress. Their actions reflected the very principles of collective responsibility that sustains healthy communities. Yet in these instances enforcement officers treated community presence and solidarity as a threat rather than an expression of care. When protection of neighbours is met with lethal force, it raises serious questions about how enforcement systems perceive and respond to community itself.

While these incidents have prompted widespread grief and reflection, they also highlight broader and long-standing patterns. For years, marginalized communities across the region, particularly migrants, Black and Indigenous communities, queer and trans people, and low-income families, have experienced disproportionate exposure to harm, surveillance, criminalization and excessive use of force by law enforcement and immigration authorities. What is increasingly evident is that the same tactics normalised against marginalized communities continue to expand outward, impacting a wider range of people and communities.These realities undermine both public confidence and commitments to human dignity and justice.

Recent data indicates that enforcement by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is not only expanding in scale but also in the harm it inflicts: in 2025, at least 30 people died in ICE custody (the highest toll in more than 20 years) and four (4) additional deaths already reported  in early 2026. Independent tracking further documents numerous instances in which federal immigration agents have discharged firearms during enforcement operations, resulting in injuries and deaths. The rapid expansion of detention capacity alongside persistent reports of overcrowding, inadequate healthcare, and rights-violating conditions further underscores how enforcement policies place lives at risk and operate with insufficient oversight.

ILGA-NAC is also closely monitoring the ongoing harassment and persecution experienced by 2SLGBTQI migrants, including within immigration detention systems in the United States. LGBTQ+ immigrants and asylum seekers in ICE custody face heightened levels of violence, medical neglect, and psychological harm, with multiple reports documenting widespread verbal abuse, sexual victimization, prolonged solitary confinement, and denial of essential healthcare — including HIV treatment and gender-affirming care. These conditions compound the very persecution many individuals fled and place 2SLGBTQI migrants at significant and unacceptable risk. ILGA-NAC strongly condemns all forms of harassment, intimidation, and abuse carried out against our communities, including by state actors, and calls for accountability, protection, and respect for the dignity, safety, and rights of all 2SLGBTQI people in migration contexts.

ILGA-NAC joins civil society partners and community leaders in calling for transparent and independent investigation into incidents involving loss of life, meaningful oversight of enforcement agencies, and reforms that prioritize safety, proportionality, and due process.

We stand in solidarity with families and communities affected by enforcement-related harm, and we reaffirm our commitment to supporting evidence-based advocacy, research, and dialogue that advance rights-respecting approaches to public safety and migration governance.

Protecting human dignity, strengthening accountability, and building public trust are essential to a just and inclusive society. ILGA-NAC remains committed to working with partners and supporters to advance these shared goals.

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ABOUT ILGA-NAC

ILGA–North America and the Caribbean (ILGA-NAC) was established in 2021, evolving from ILGA–North America to better reflect and respond to the distinct realities of both North America and the Caribbean. ILGA-NAC is committed to creating tailored advocacy and support for 2SLGBTQI+ communities across these regions. Today, ILGA-NAC works to strengthen inclusive, effective, and region-specific advocacy, advancing the rights and well-being of 2SLGBTQI+ people in all their diversity. Learn more at ilganac.org or email info@ilganac.org

For more information, please contact: 

Sharon Mottley, Regional Program Manager, ILGA-NAC, smottley@ilganac.org