Looking forward to a sun-soaked holiday in Sydney, Sonya, a transgender woman from the Philippines, instead found herself locked in an Australian detention center. What should have been a simple vacation turned into a harrowing ordeal—one that has sparked outrage over Australia’s treatment of transgender individuals and Asian migrants.
Profiled and Detained at the Border
Sonya arrived in Australia in February, eager to explore the country as a tourist. But upon landing, she was immediately profiled by the Australian Border Force (ABF). Without consent, her phone was confiscated, and she was subjected to invasive questioning.
“The environment was highly uncomfortable… there was an inmate there that threw hot water on us,” Sonya recalled, detailing the abuse she faced while in detention. Worse still, she was denied a clear timeline for her deportation. Despite offering to purchase her own ticket home, she was left in limbo, with no answers and no way out.
A Broken System of Detention
Under Australia’s Migration Act, there is no set time frame for deportation. This lack of regulation means that detainees like Sonya are left in indefinite uncertainty. In her case, this translated into three days of fear, harassment, and dehumanizing treatment at the Villawood Immigration Detention Centre in Sydney.
“The ABF has violated my human rights. The ABF lied to me,” she said. “Staying in a detention center is like living in hell—it was so, so scary.”
Villawood has long been criticized for its treatment of detainees, particularly transgender individuals. Sonya, a trans woman, was housed in a male compound, subjecting her to heightened risks of abuse and violence. Trans men, too, have been placed in female compounds, disregarding their gender identities altogether.
Adding to the distress, Sonya was denied access to her luggage and critical hormone medication, which could have had serious medical consequences. Her experience is not unique—other transgender detainees have reported being under constant surveillance, sexually harassed during pat-downs, and intimidated by officers.
Serco, the private company responsible for running Villawood, claims that detainees are “treated equally, with dignity and respect.” However, Sonya’s account, along with those of many others, paints a vastly different picture—one of abuse, negligence, and systemic discrimination.
Operation Inglenook: Racial and Gender Profiling in Action
Sonya’s detention is part of a broader, deeply flawed system known as Operation Inglenook. Launched in 2022, this initiative was supposedly designed to crack down on visa fraud, human trafficking, and exploitation within the sex industry. Yet, in practice, it has overwhelmingly targeted migrants from East and Southeast Asia, including many transgender women.
Between November 2022 and August 2024, 165 people were denied immigration clearance under Operation Inglenook, the vast majority of whom were from Asian countries. The initiative has been widely criticized for racial profiling, with border officials reportedly targeting travelers based on their appearance, gender identity, and perceived profession.
“To implement these laws, border officials look out for migrants whose appearances they believe do not match their gender marker or who fit into the racist stereotype of the ‘promiscuous Asian sex worker,’” said Damien Nguyen, spokesperson for the Asian Migrant Sex Worker Advisory Group (AMSWAG).
“The government weaponizes the false idea that we are by default victims of sex trafficking to justify mass visa cancellation, torturous detainment, and overpolicing,” he added.
Government Reforms or More of the Same?
In response to ongoing criticisms, the Australian government has pledged $50 million to establish a new strike force aimed at tackling visa fraud and abuse. Immigration Minister Clare O’Neil has touted this as a major reform effort, stating that the new division will crack down on unscrupulous migration agents and ensure compliance across the system.
However, rather than addressing the systemic discrimination faced by transgender detainees and Asian migrants, the government’s focus appears to be on expanding surveillance and enforcement mechanisms. Operation Inglenook is set to become a permanent program, extending its reach beyond the sex industry to the broader migration system. For many advocates, this signals even more racial and gender profiling—not less.
A Call for Change
The Australian Human Rights Commission has repeatedly called for better protections for transgender detainees, yet meaningful change remains elusive. The system continues to dehumanize and mistreat individuals based on their gender identity and race, with little accountability from the government or agencies involved.
For Sonya, the nightmare ended when she was finally deported back to the Philippines. But for countless others, the fear and suffering continue. The international community must take notice and demand justice for transgender migrants facing abuse under Australia’s immigration policies.
No one should be detained indefinitely. No one should be denied access to life-saving medication. And no one should be subjected to inhumane treatment simply for seeking to travel.
Australia must do better. It’s time to stop the profiling, end the abuses, and uphold the basic human rights of transgender individuals and all migrants.
