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# Prominent Tucson Family Advocating for Trans and Migrant Rights Flees U.S.
- URL: https://www.lookoutnews.org/prominent-tucson-family-advocating-for-trans-and-migrant-rights-flees-u-s/
- Published: 2025-04-08T18:31:19.000Z
- Updated: 2025-04-08T18:37:38.000Z
- Description: Fearing mass deportations and anti-trans policies under a potential second Trump term, the Trujillo family says the U.S. is no longer safe for their son — or for themselves.
- Author: Joseph Darius Jaafari (he/him)
- Tags: POLITICS, #donate, #donate-2

A well-known Tucson family that has spent years on the front lines of transgender and immigrant rights advocacy has fled the United States, saying President Donald Trump’s escalating threats against immigrants — regardless of legal status — and transgender people left them with no other choice.

The Trujillo family — Lizette, her husband Jose, and their son Daniel — said they left Arizona in a preemptive move to protect themselves from what they described as a federal government increasingly hostile to people like them: immigrants, Latinos, and trans youth.

[How Lawmakers Responded to Our Reporting on Queer Residents FleeingWith the fear of more LGBTQ+ rights restrictions, possible discrimination, and a culture that appears to be labeling diversity as a threat, Democratic lawmakers are scrambling for how to help fix it.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/4c/0d/4c0d7266-d8e0-4201-8dfb-f7b14779cdc4/content/images/icon/lookout-favicon@4x-84.png)LOOKOUTLOOKOUT Staff![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/4c/0d/4c0d7266-d8e0-4201-8dfb-f7b14779cdc4/content/images/thumbnail/2550548_IllustrationforQA_022425-1-1.png)](https://www.lookoutnews.org/these-lawmakers-are-working-for-lgbtq-rights-but-they-need-your-help/)

“After a decade of advocating for the rights of our son, we made the difficult and hasty decision to leave the country,” [Lizette wrote in a social media post](https://www.instagram.com/p/DIJ9ZWAoSMp/?ref=lookoutnews.org). She cited heightened ICE activity in their Tucson neighborhood and said that even though Jose is a U.S. citizen, “this administration seems not to care about people’s legal status.”

The Trujillos have launched a GoFundMe campaign to support their relocation abroad. [You can find the campaign link here. ](https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-joses-family-in-their-relocation-journey?attribution%5Fid=sl:dd2c2576-ba5d-4948-b31a-56c0f4fb81e5&lang=en%5FUS&utm%5Fcampaign=man%5Fss%5Ficons&utm%5Fmedium=customer&utm%5Fsource=copy%5Flink)

Daniel, who came out as transgender as a child, has been honored by the ACLU, the Gender Liberation Movement, GLSEN, and the Human Rights Campaign for his advocacy and visibility on behalf of trans youth.

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/4c/0d/4c0d7266-d8e0-4201-8dfb-f7b14779cdc4/content/images/2025/04/DSCN0721-1.JPG)

Lizette Trujillo (left) with her son Daniel. (Photo by LOOKOUT)

Lizette, a community leader who serves on several Tucson-based boards, has long been a fierce advocate for migrant rights and support systems for trans youth and their families across Southern Arizona.

Jose was featured in the Netflix documentary *The Dads*, which highlights fathers who stand by their transgender children in the face of growing national hostility.

The Trujillos are not the only people who have fled. Earlier this year, *LOOKOUT* and *The 19th* reported on [how multiple queer people have considered or have already started fleeing Arizona ](https://www.lookoutnews.org/queer-arizonans-are-feeling-the-need-to-flee-their-homes-2/)as executive orders and local governments feel more emboldened to attack LGBTQ+ people. 

Lizette was also quoted in our story we [wrote with the *Arizona Agenda* on how parents like her were keeping away from the Capitol](https://www.lookoutnews.org/some-lgbtq-arizonans-are-avoiding-the-capitol-for-safety/) due to fear that lawmakers would target them and their children for speaking up in favor of transgender rights. 

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