In collaboration with George Washington University Global Women’s Institute and the Washington Office on Latin America, Dean Rosa Celorio co-authored an article entitled, Gendered Consequences of U.S. Mass Deportations: How Shifting Migration Policies Endanger Women and Girls, in the Georgetown Journal of International Affairs (May 2025), with Dr. Mary Ellsberg, Dr. Gabriella Nassif, and Dr. Carolina Jiménez Sandoval. Dr. Mary Ellsberg is the Founding Director of GWU Global Women’s Institute. Dr. Gabriella Nassif is a Senior Research Associate at the GWU Global Women’s Institute. Dr. Carolina Jiménez Sandoval is the President of the Washington Office on Latin America (WOLA).
The article discusses how migration is an inherently gendered process. It sheds light on the disproportionate risks to gender-based violence that women and girls face due to systemic inequality and discrimination that persists through the migration process. These risks are heightened in times of crisis, including the current wave of mass deportations in the United States. The article argues that increased rates of gender-based violence, both domestically and internationally, must be anticipated as migrant women and girls are forcibly detained and compelled to “reverse migrate” to dangerous environments. The current U.S. administration’s approach to immigration policies disproportionately exposes women and migrants – particularly those affected by international discrimination based on their race, ethnicity, and disabilities – to gender-based violence.
The authors call on the U.S. government to take immediate steps to address this additional risk to violence against women and girls resulting from inhumane immigration and deportation policies. It underscores that the U.S. government must uphold international human rights law and take proactive measures to address abuses within its immigration system. This includes acknowledging the well-documented human rights violations in ICE detention centers, conducting thorough investigations, and accountability measures.
The authors also call the U.S. government to halt detention and deportation operations which violate due process. They highlight how every migrant is entitled to full, fair, and impartial hearings, access to legal counsel, and a clear explanation of the charges brought against them. Legal proceedings must include the opportunity to president evidence, offer testimony, and cross-examine witnesses. Migrants should also be provided with comprehensive information about their legal rights and the means to exercise them.
Lastly, the authors call on the U.S. government to act with due diligence to investigate and address all forms of violence against migrant women and girls, including policies and practices that increase their risk of harm. The government should suspend deportations to countries where women and girls face threats such as sexual violence, enforced disappearance, torture, or other human rights violations should be immediately suspended. Grassroots organizations should also be resourced and empowered to expand community-level protections and services; all with the goal of building a more just and humane immigration system.