In a surprising turn of events, the Netherlands has seen a surge in asylum claims from American citizens, particularly transgender individuals, who are fleeing the increasingly hostile environment in the United States under the second term of President Donald Trump.
Last year, 76 Americans claimed asylum in the Netherlands, a significant increase from just 9 in 2024, according to the Dutch asylum and immigration ministry. Many of these refugees, like 47-year-old software engineer Jane-Michelle Arc from San Francisco, are transgender individuals who say they no longer feel safe in their own country.
“The US had become such a hostile environment for trans people that I had stopped leaving the house unless there was an Uber waiting outside,” Arc said. She recounted incidents of abuse on the streets and being barred from using the women’s restroom, leading her to resolve to leave the country after a frightening encounter where she feared a woman was going to run her over with a truck.
The stories of the American transgender asylum seekers echo those of refugees from war-torn regions like Eritrea, Somalia, and Syria who have long sought sanctuary in the Netherlands. Ter Apel, the country’s largest refugee camp, has become a temporary home for these individuals, who find common ground in their shared experiences of fear and discrimination.
“We were in danger from the people around us. And in fact, all of us thought of America as a place we wanted to live in – a beautiful country of opportunities. And that’s all still true, but it was surprising and sad and validating that the people there – a trans dude from Tehran and a trans woman from Libya – our stories were so similar,” Arc said.
The asylum claims from Americans have surprised many of the camp’s other residents, who view the US as a “paradise” of opportunity. However, the chances of these claims being successful are slim, according to Marlou Schrover, a professor at Leiden University who studies the Dutch immigration system.
“Not only must a refugee prove that they faced persecution in their home country, but they must also show that they tried to get help from the local authorities but were denied protection,” Schrover explained. “Simply denying someone the right to put their chosen gender on their passport is nowhere near enough.”
So far, no American has been successful in their asylum claim since arriving during Trump’s second term. Among those rejected and earmarked for deportation is Lisa Gayle Carter-Stewart, who fled Montana with her transgender teenager, 14-year-old Nox, last April. Their asylum was automatically rejected because the US is considered a safe country of origin.
Despite the challenges, the transgender refugees remain determined to build a new life in the Netherlands, where they hope to find the safety and acceptance they were denied in their homeland. As Arc put it, “I did it because I was afraid for my life. I didn’t do this in secret. I talked to everybody I knew. I said: ‘I am planning to do this wildly stupid thing.’ Everybody said: ‘I don’t love this for you, but there is no other option.'”
