Rallying for Immigration Reform – and Gay & Lesbian Couples’ Inclusion
Posted April 11, 2013 10:25 am
TALLAHASSEE, FL - As Washington, D.C., and state capitols around the country were flooded with immigration reform advocates Wednesday, some made sure their lobbying, marching and rallying addressed the possibility that gay and lesbian couples will be left out of reform legislation expected to emerge in Congress shortly.
Monica Hernandez, Southeast Immigrant Rights Network, was knocking on senators' office doors at the Dirksen Office Building. She was concerned about published reports that the bill will not include provisions allowing same-sex couples to apply for green cards for non-citizen partners.
Links:
•
Southeast Immigration Rights
Network
•
Defense of Marriage Act
"That is a key way that a lot of people have been
able to regularize their status," she said, "and it's
not an option for LGBT families."
The White House has urged Congress to include same-sex
couples in immigration legislation, but Republicans
working on reform are opposed.
Demonstrators also took the Obama administration to task
for the continuing high numbers of deportations.
Hernandez said she appreciated the administration's
efforts to unite LGBT families through its
marriage-equality stance, but added that the President
falls short.
"We also need him to address the other side of the
coin," she said, "which is the massive deportation and
detentions of our families and our communities. In fact,
this administration has deported more people than any
other president."
Immigration laws currently do not treat gay and lesbian
couples as legitimate family on green-card petitions
because DOMA, the federal Defense of Marriage Act, does
not recognize same-sex marriages, Hernandez explained.
"We are calling for the immigration reform to provide
the opportunity for all families, including LGBT
families, to be able to regularize their status," she
said.
Some think the best chance for what are known as
"bi-national" gay and lesbian families rests with the
Supreme Court, which is currently considering the
constitutionality of DOMA.
Links added by the Observer