President Obama Will Include Same-Sex Couples In Immigration Plan- Congress' (Dems) Intent Uncertain

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WASHINGTON — Same-sex couples will be a part of the proposal for addressing immigration reform that President Obama is scheduled to unveil Tuesday in Las Vegas, BuzzFeed has confirmed with multiple sources familiar with the White House plan.

A Democratic source said: "Same-sex couples will be part of his proposal." A second source confirmed that, unlike the Senate framework released Monday, same-sex bi-national couples — those with one American and one foreign partner — will be included in the White House principles.

The decision by Obama seeks to remedy what advocates for same-sex couples view as one of the most searing inequalities under the existing federal limit on marriage to one man and one woman: LGBT American citizens simply have no way to confer citizenship on their romantic partners, something that is automatic — if not always simple — for straight couples.

Under current law, such same-sex couples, even when married under state law, are not eligible for the green cards that opposite-sex couples can receive. Foreign partners of same-sex couples have in the past found their green card applications denied — often forcing couples to separate or move abroad.

Although Attorney General Eric Holder and Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano have taken steps to examine the issue and, in some cases, prevent deportation of the foreign same-sex partners of Americans, the Defense of Marriage Act continues to prevent the granting of green cards for such individuals.

read more: http://www.buzzfeed.com/chrisgeidner/obama-will-include-same-sex-couples-in-immigration



Legislation from Congress was unveiled on Monday, and gay couples were not included as part of it, the SF Chronicle reports:

Heather Cronk, managing director of GetEqual, a national gay rights group in Berkeley, said Catholic bishops have been lobbying Congress to omit same-sex couples from an immigration bill, and she worried that such couples might become a bargaining chip as legislation is written.

"It's my understanding that there is no explicit mention ... in order to get Republican sign-on on the issue," Cronk said. The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops did not respond to a request for comment.

Rep. Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y., House author of the Uniting American Families Act, which would extend to committed gay and lesbian couples the same immigration privileges available to heterosexual married couples, said Monday that he is not worried.

"We made it quite clear that gays and lesbians are not second-class people," Nadler said, "and if we have general immigration reform they are going to be included, period."

read more: http://www.towleroad.com/2013/01/obama-said-to-include-gays-in-immigration-reform-plans.html



from Washington Blade:

A blueprint for comprehensive immigration reform made public on Monday by a bipartisan group of senators contains no provision for bi-national same-sex couples, despite the push among LGBT advocates to include such language in immigration reform.

. . . the proposal lacks a long-sought provision that would enable gay Americans to sponsor a foreign partner for residency in the United States. While straight Americans can sponsor their foreign spouses for a green card through a marriage-based application, gay Americans are unable to do the same because of the Defense of Marriage Act and because they cannot marry in many places within the country. Standalone legislation that would address the issue is known as the Uniting American Families Act.

Rachel Tiven, executive director of the LGBT group Immigration Equality, said she’s “extremely disappointed” that senators didn’t include UAFA as part of their proposal, but said the final die hasn’t yet been cast.

“Today’s framework is just that: a starting point, but not yet a bill,” Tiven said. “We will work non-stop to make sure our families are part of comprehensive immigration reform legislation when it is introduced. Any immigration bill in Congress must allow LGBT people to sponsor their spouse or permanent partner in the same way opposite-sex couples have long been able to under current immigration law.”
Azer Creative

The bipartisan group senators who were involved in the talks on the Democratic side were Sens. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), Richard Durbin (D-Ill.), and Michael Bennet (D-Colo.). With exception of Menendez, each of the senators are co-sponsors of UAFA, and Menendez included the language as part of his own version of comprehensive immigration reform legislation. Republicans involved in the talks were Sens. John McCain (R-Ariz.), Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.)

read more: http://www.washingtonblade.com/2013/01/28/senate-immigration-plan-lacks-uafa/



LGBT Groups Release Joint Statement Calling for LGBT-Inclusive Immigration Reform Bill

Today, as a group of bipartisan senators released principles for comprehensive immigration reform ahead of Obama's planned announcement of his own proposals on Tuesday, The National Center for Lesbian Rights, the Human Rights Campaign, Immigration Equality Action Fund, and the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force today released a joint statement calling for a comprehensive immigration policy which includes LGBT couples.

Immigration Equality notes that the Senate's framework does not include explicit mention of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) binational families:

Immigration Equality is exceptionally disappointed the Senators’ framework did not specifically outline a solution for keeping our families together.

Earlier this year, the Congressional Hispanic Caucus released their own priorities for immigration reform, and LGBT families were #2 on the CHC list. Just last week, the White House issued its strongest statement yet in support of our families, noting that the President “has long believed that Americans with same-sex partners from other countries should not be faced with the painful choice between staying with the person they love or staying in the country they love, and he welcomes changes that would help keep families together.”

Today’s framework is just that: a starting point, but not yet a bill. We will work non-stop to make sure our families are part of comprehensive immigration reform legislation when it is introduced. Any immigration bill in Congress must allow LGBT people to sponsor their spouse or permanent partner in the same way opposite-sex couples have long been able to under current immigration law.

more: http://www.towleroad.com/2013/01/lgbt-groups-release-joint-statement-calling-for-lgbt-inclusive-immigration-reform-bill.html#ixzz2JNHL3cmw