The Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC) released yesterday its nine fundamental principles for comprehensive immigration reform, creating an inclusion for same-sex couples.
In the document released on November 28, the Congressional Hispanic Caucus states that the second stepping stone in comprehensive immigration reform is protecting the sanctity of marriage. The reform references same-sex couples in the following passage: “Protects the unity and sanctity of the family, including the families of bi-national, same-sex couples, by reducing the family backlogs and keeping spouses, parents, and children together.”
“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,” expressed a White House official in response to CHC’s release.
An article in Washington Blade highlights that gay Americans are not able to sponsor their foreign-born partner’s residencies the way straight Americans can. The article also notes that as recently as last month, the Department of Homeland Security is currently considering “long-term, same-sex partners” as families when using their discretion in deporting undocumented immigrants.
“The Congressional Hispanic Caucus’s commitment to lesbian and gay families sets the baseline for what comprehensive immigration reform must include,” says Rachel Tiven, Executive Director of Immigration Equality. The LGBT community will bring our energy and our power at the ballot box to the fight for fair and inclusive reform. We salute Congressman Luis Gutierrez, Senator Robert Menendez and the entire Hispanic Caucus for their leadership in outlining an inclusive vision of what that reform will look like.”
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