A transgender woman visiting Sydney was placed in the male compound of an immigration detention centre despite being told she would stay in a hotel before her deportation.
Sonya, a visitor from the Philippines, spoke to ABC News about her February trip to Australia on a tourist visa, detailing what she described as a distressing and discriminatory experience with Australian Border Force (ABF) officials.
Border Force Profiling and Visa Cancellation
Upon arrival at Sydney Airport, Sonya claims she was profiled by ABF officers, who confiscated her phone and searched through her personal data without giving her the option to refuse.
“They even looked through my intimate photos with my ex-partner,” she told the ABC.
She says that after officers found an old email linked to an international escorting website, they isolated her, interrogated her, and pressured her into signing a visa cancellation document.
“When they found an email from an [international] escorting website, they isolated me, harassed me, and forced me to sign a visa cancellation document,” Sonya alleged.
Sonya admitted to previously working as a sex worker but said the email was related to an old advertisement and had no bearing on her visit.
She was held at the airport for 12 hours and told she would be placed in a hotel overnight before her return flight. However, what happened next left her “in shock.”
“Someone from Villawood [Immigration Detention Centre] picked me up, and then they put me in the detention centre,” she said.
‘A Living Hell’ in Detention
Sonya spent three days in the male compound of Villawood Immigration Detention Centre in Sydney’s west, describing the experience as traumatic.
“Staying in a detention centre is like a living hell. It was so, so scary,” she said.
She described an unsafe environment, claiming that one detainee had thrown hot water at others.
Sonya also alleged she was harassed by a male officer during a pat-down search. Under current immigration detention policies, searches are conducted based on an individual’s assigned sex at birth.
Additionally, she was denied access to her luggage and could not take her hormone medication.
“The environment was highly uncomfortable … there was an inmate there that threw hot water on us.”
Sonya was not informed of her departure time, despite offering to book her return flight herself.
Border Force and Detention Centre Response
An Australian Border Force spokesperson declined to comment on Sonya’s case.
Meanwhile, private service provider Serco, which manages immigration detention centres, denied any misconduct by staff.
“Detainees in our care are treated equally, with dignity and respect,” a Serco spokesperson told the ABC.
“Our priority is the wellbeing of our people and those in our care.”
Concerns Over ‘Unfair Deportations’
Sonya’s case is not unique, according to Damien Nguyen from the Asian Migrant Sex Worker Advisory Group (AMSWAG). Nguyen claims Australia’s immigration crackdown—designed to target visa fraud and trafficking—has led to unjust deportations, excessive policing, and distressing detentions.
“We are seeing unfair deportations, torturous detainment, and over-policing,” Nguyen said.
He also alleged that border officials regularly profile Asian travellers, including transgender people who do not conform to their gender marker.
“At least eight transgender people have been held at Villawood Immigration Detention Centre since last October.”
As concerns grow over Australia’s treatment of transgender detainees and profiling practices at the border, advocacy groups continue to call for urgent reforms.
