A transgender woman from Arizona has filed for asylum in Canada, claiming that the United States is no longer a safe place for transgender people because of President Donald Trump's policies.
The Daily Mail reported that Hannah Kreager, 22, has "fled" to the Canadian city of Calgary.
Kreager explained on her GoFundMe page that she moved to Canada "in hopes of finding safety, security, and the freedom to continue to live my life, and access/take my medications as prescribed."
"Attitudes in the United States have grown increasingly intolerant toward trans people by those who have been influenced and emboldened by a president and administration that takes basic rights away from trans people on the basis of nothing more than their identity," Kreager wrote.
"The danger to trans individuals in the United States is very high, while the threat my community poses is exceedingly low," she said. "When one right after another, one protection after another, is taken away from a community or a person, how many rights should she let go before acting in self-protection? How long should she wait to seek help or safety?"
According to the Canadian Globe and Mail, Kreager's legal filing cites two executive orders by Trump, including the mandate directing the federal government to only recognize the two genders of male and female.
Because of Trump's executive order, U.S. passports and identity cards are no longer being issued with an X for gender fluid individuals. Kreager told the Canadian outlet that her passport is marked with an X, and she is concerned about what might happen to it because she has heard reports that other transgender people's passports have been confiscated or damaged.
Kreager's pending asylum claim could be a landmark case, she said, and could help members of her community seek refuge outside of U.S. borders.
"I'm here in Canada with a terrific lawyer taking up my unprecedented case: seeking asylum from the United States of America on the grounds of violation of human rights," Kreager wrote on her GoFundMe.
"My case is a precedent-setting one, and if successful, could make asylum for trans people in the U.S. possible," the American added.
Kreager's lawyer, Yameena Ansari, told The Globe and Mail that Canadian immigration attorneys have been inundated with inquiries from transgender Americans about how to move north since Trump returned to office in January.
"This case is about safety," Ansari said. "It's about whether Canada will recognize the threat Hannah faces in the U.S."
Canadian immigration officials have warned that Americans are in for a tough slog when claiming asylum, however, as they must prove they have a "real fear of persecution or face serious harm, such as torture or cruel treatment, in their home country or where they usually live."
Nicole Weatherholtz ✉
Nicole Weatherholtz, a Newsmax general assignment reporter covers news, politics, and culture. She is a National Newspaper Association award-winning journalist.