Mohammed Abdollahi, a 24-year-old gay man who moved to the United States as a child when his parents came to the country to study in Michigan, is seeking asylum as he facing deportation after living as an undocumented immigrant for more than 20 years, according to ABC News.

Abdollahi was detained following a protest in May and now faces deportation to Iran where homosexuality is a crime punishable by death. His removal proceedings are scheduled for later in the summer.

“It’s not something I can imagine,” Abdollahi said of returning to Iran. “It would be a very scary thing because I haven’t hidden my sexuality in talking with friends or the media.”

More than 13,000 immigrants like Abdollahi applied for asylum in U.S. immigration courts last year, but only 14 percent of those requests were granted. Asylum seekers must prove that returning to their home country carries with it a significant risk of harm due to their race, religion, nationality, political opinion or membership in a social group (the category under which sexual orientation falls).

“In Iran, it’s illegal to be gay,” said Hossein Alizadeh, a member of the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission who received asylum from Iran based on sexual orientation in 2001. “Even if you’re not charged, however, you face the threat of honor killings by family members and vigilantes. The government does nothing to protect these individuals.”

Photo credit: ABC News.