DOMA Repeal Bill Could Give Same-Sex Couples Equal Protection Under Immigration Laws

by Kathy Drasky

Published September 16, 2009 @ 09:55AM PT

by Jennifer McFadyen, About.com Guide to Immigration Issues

Congressman Jerrold Nadler (D-NY), Chair of the House Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights and Civil Liberties, Congresswoman Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) and Congressman Jared Polis (D-CO), along with Congressman John Conyers (D-MI), Congressman John Lewis (D-GA), Congresswoman Nydia Velazquez (D-NY) and Congresswoman Barbara Lee (D-CA), with a total of 91 original co-sponsors to date, introduced the Respect for Marriage Act in the House of Representatives on Septemeber 15. This legislation would repeal the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), a 1996 law which discriminates against lawfully married same-sex couples.

Joe Solmonese, President of the Human Rights Campaign says in the press release that one of the protections same-sex legally married couples would have under the Respect for Marriage Act would be "equal protection under U.S. immigration laws." If that's the case, this bill could be an important piece of legislation for American citizens and their foreign same-sex spouses. (Read more)

Letter Writing - Week 29

by Kathy Drasky

Published September 16, 2009 @ 09:43AM PT

This week the Out4Immigration Letter Writing Campaign focuses on five more Senators. Please use the form letter reprinted here and adjust for only the material in bold. Be sure to add the link to Out4Immigration at the end of your letter. Remember, snail mail and FAX'ing can be just as effective -- if not more so -- than emails. If you cannot access the Senator's general email account because you do not live in his or her district, please snail mail or FAX your letter. Every form of communication our Representatives receive is taken into account.

This week's targets:

Senator Max Baucus (D-MT)
511 Hart Senate Office Bldg.
Washington, D.C. 20510
Fax: (202) 224-9412
max_baucus@baucus.senate.gov

Senator Michael Bennet (D-CO)
702 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
Fax: (202) 228-5036
michael_bennet@bennet.senate.gov

Senator Thomas Carper (D-DE)
United States Senate
513 Hart Building
Washington, DC 20510
Fax: (202) 228-2190
thomas_carper@carper.senate.gov

Senator Kay Hagan (D-NC)
521 Dirksen Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
Fax: (202) 228-2563
kay_hagan@hagan.senate.gov

Senator Christopher 'Kit' Bond (R-MO)
274 Russell Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
christopher_bond@bond.senate.gov

Sample Letter:

[Today's Date]

Dear [Senator Name],

I am writing to you to ask for your support by becoming a co-sponsor of the Uniting American Families Act (UAFA; S. 424/H.R. 1024 ) sponsored in the Senate by Sen. Patrick Leahy and in the House by Rep. Jerrold Nadler.

[I am] [I know people] directly affected by the current unfair immigration policies in this country that deny gay and lesbian Americans the right to sponsor their permanent partner to live with them in the United States.

As you may be aware, these Americans in loving and committed relationships are often forced to make heartbreaking decisions to maintain their relationship. More often than not, these include having to leave the United States in order to be with the person they love. These American citizens are forced to give up careers, leave behind aging parents and young adult children who rely on them and leave a community which benefits from their ongoing and active participation.

The Uniting American Families Act (UAFA) simply seeks to provide gay and lesbian U.S. citizens and permanent residents the right to sponsor their partner for immigration. It outlines the same process and penalties as applied in heterosexual partner (i.e., marriage or fiancée) sponsorship applications. By co-sponsoring this bill, you are showing your dedication to equality and the belief that no American should be forced to choose between their country and the person they love.

Thank you for your time on this important matter. I hope that your name will be added to the list co-sponsors on this bill, and you will support the UAFA's inclusion in any discussions concerning Comprehensive Immigration Reform.

Respectfully,

[YOUR NAME]
Member, Out4Immigration
www.out4immigration.org

Two New Co-Sponsors of UAFA

by Kathy Drasky

Published September 11, 2009 @ 01:12PM PT

Good news! We have two new co-sponsors of the Uniting American Families Act (UAFA), one in the Senate and one in the House.

Senator Al Franken (D-MN) officially signed on yesterday,
bringing the number of co-sponsors in the Senate to 22. Congresswoman Laura Richardson (D-CA-37) signed on again in the House  (she was a previous co-sponsor), bringing us to 116 in that chamber.

Keep up the letter writing and phone calls everybody, because they really do work!

Be a Part of the National Equality March on Washington this October

by Kathy Drasky

Published September 11, 2009 @ 12:51PM PT

Out4Immigration is looking for volunteers to be part of a contingent at the National Equality March on Washington in Washington DC on October 11, 2009. The organizers of the event have listed equal immigration rights for same-sex binational couples in the "Demand for Equality" and Out4Immigration has signed on as a supporter of the March.

If you are interested in attending the March, please email your contact information to uafacampaigns@out4immigration.org 

Please provide your name, email, date of planned arrival in DC and cell phone contact for the day itself. Once we have more details, O4I volunteers Jim and Tom will send you information about where to meet on the day of the March and more info about planned activities as they become available. If there are enough O4I members in town the night before the March, an informal get together for dinner or drinks will be planned.

Out4Immigration is also thinking of organizing a day or two to walk the halls of Congress to speak with representatives to get them to sign on to the Uniting American Families Act (UAFA) as well as educate them on this issue after the success of our Meet Your Representative campaign last month. As you know, it is very important to tell your personal story and how this unfair immigration law affects your life.

Can you make the journey to DC? Email uafacampaigns@out4immigration.org if you want to participate in the March and/or the visits to Congress.

California State Assembly Passes AJR 15

by Kathy Drasky

Published September 11, 2009 @ 12:35PM PT

AJR 15, the California State Assembly bill that would make a formal recommendation to Congress and President Obama to make the Uniting American Families Act (UAFA) law, passed the full Assembly this week with a 41-28 vote (along party lines).

The idea for this bill came from Out4Immigration's Amos Lim. It was then drafted by Assemblyman Kevin de Leon and a hearing in front of an Assembly committee was put together by Alice Kessler of Equality California (EQCA) in August. Two members of Out4Immigration, Gina Caprio and Melanie Nathan gave compelling testimony which aroused compassion for the bill and shot it quickly out of committee and to a full Assembly vote within just a few weeks.

AJR 15 passed in the Assembly this week by a 41-28 vote. Unfortunately, no Republicans backed this legislation. Sadly, the party that claims to represent "family values" continues to ignore ALL families and not help same-sex binational families overcome the barrier in federal immigration law that does not allow gay and lesbian Americans to sponsor a foreign partner for residency. Current US immigration law only permits opposite-sex couples, whose marriages are recognized federally, to sponsor their spouse in this manner.

Democrats are in the majority in both the California Assembly and the state Senate, which is the next stop for this bill. EQCA's Kessler expects Senate hearings early in 2010.

Should the bill pass in the Senate and receive Governor Schwarzenegger's signature, California, the largest and most populous state in America will be on record calling for the passage of the UAFA and to end immigration discrimination against LGBT people.

Anyone interested in putting forward a bill similar to AJR 15 in their state is encouraged to contact Amos Lim at amos@out4immigration.org

Letter Writing - Week 28

by Kathy Drasky

Published September 08, 2009 @ 08:51AM PT

This week the Out4Immigration Letter Writing Campaign focuses on five Senators. Please use the form letter reprinted here and adjust for only the material in bold. Be sure to add the link to Out4Immigration at the end of your letter. Remember, snail mail and FAX'ing can be just as effective -- if not more so -- than emails. If you cannot access the Senator's general email account because you do not live in his or her district, please snail mail or FAX your letter. Every form of communication our Representatives receive is taken into account.

This week's targets:

Sen. Bill Nelson (D-FL)
United States Senate
716 Senate Hart Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
Phone: 202-224-5274
Fax: 202-228-2183
http://billnelson.senate.gov/contact/email.cfm

Sen. Tom Harkin (D-IA)
731 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
Fax: (202) 224-9369
https://harkin.senate.gov/c/index.cfm

Sen. Tom Udall (D-NM)
110 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington DC 20510
Fax: 505-346-6720
http://tomudall.senate.gov/contact/contact.cfm

Sen. Jack Reed (D-RI)
728 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
Fax: (202) 224-4680
http://reed.senate.gov/contact/contact-share.cfm

Sen. Sam Brownback (R-KS)
303 Hart Senate Building
Washington, D.C. 20510
Fax: (202) 228-1265
http://brownback.senate.gov/public/contact/emailsam.cfm

Sample Letter:

[Today's Date]

Dear [Senator Name],

I am writing to you to ask for your support by becoming a co-sponsor of the Uniting American Families Act (UAFA; S. 424/H.R. 1024 ) sponsored in the Senate by Sen. Patrick Leahy and in the House by Rep. Jerrold Nadler.

[I am] [I know people] directly affected by the current unfair immigration policies in this country that deny gay and lesbian Americans the right to sponsor their permanent partner to live with them in the United States.

As you may be aware, these Americans in loving and committed relationships are often forced to make heartbreaking decisions to maintain their relationship. More often than not, these include having to leave the United States in order to be with the person they love. These American citizens are forced to give up careers, leave behind aging parents and young adult children who rely on them and leave a community which benefits from their ongoing and active participation.

The Uniting American Families Act (UAFA) simply seeks to provide gay and lesbian U.S. citizens and permanent residents the right to sponsor their partner for immigration. It outlines the same process and penalties as applied in heterosexual partner (i.e., marriage or fiancée) sponsorship applications. By co-sponsoring this bill, you are showing your dedication to equality and the belief that no American should be forced to choose between their country and the person they love.

Thank you for your time on this important matter. I hope that your name will be added to the list co-sponsors on this bill, and you will support the UAFA's inclusion in any discussions concerning Comprehensive Immigration Reform.

Respectfully,

[YOUR NAME]
Member, Out4Immigration
www.out4immigration.org

Results of the August Visits to Members of Congress

by Kathy Drasky

Published September 04, 2009 @ 08:48AM PT

August was Out4Immigration's first "Visit Your Congressperson" month  -- and we are pleased to report it has been a great success.

To date, 10 meetings were held and 4 more are pending (including one with Sen. Dianne Feinstein's office in California). Our members have met with and are scheduled to meet with staffers in their districts in California, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, New York and Ohio. In each meeting, staffers were kind, empathetic and promised to take our stories and materials to their boss - members of Congress and the Senate who can make a difference by becoming a co-sponsor of the Uniting American Families Act (UAFA) and voting for it on the day it comes to the floor.

We also had reports from our members who attended town halls or picnics and spoke directly with their Representative (even if just for a few minutes) to thank him or her for their support. A number of California members were able to attend an LGBT town hall with Rep. Jackie Speier, one of our major supporters, just this week.

While in some instances, our members were told that it was unlikely a certain Representative would co-sponsor the legislation due to immigration not being a popular subject in their district, we could count on the Representative's vote on the UAFA in the long run because he/she supports equal rights for LGBT people. Rep. Speier was honest with our members and said we should not expect Comprehensive Immigration Reform (CIR) this year. As disheartening as that news is - there is no reason to think that it cannot happen next year - and that gives us even more reason to continue to gather more co-sponsors for the UAFA and to follow the lead of Rep. Mike Honda and his staff as they continue to gather support for the Reuniting Families Act (RFA).

In every instance, these meetings have given us a new perspective on the power of our group and our message, more insight into how Congress works and the painstaking, grassroots steps we must continue to take to bring equal immigration rights for same-sex binational couples up the chain for either the floor vote on the UAFA as a standalone bill and/or its inclusion in CIR, as incorporated into RFA or some other bill not yet on the table.

Out4Immigration gratefully thanks all of you who scheduled and went to these meetings, who took the time and made the effort. Your contribution is invaluable to moving equal immigration rights forward and we now need you to maintain contact with the person you met with, to continue to remind them of the importance of our issue, and to keep relaying any information you receive from your Representative's office to the Out4Immigration group at out4immigration@yahoogroups.com

Please also keep in contact directly with Tom Tierney at tptierney914@yahoo.com and Amos Lim at amos@out4immigration.org if you need more advice going forward. Tom and Amos, along with Melanie Nathan, were instrumental in creating our meeting toolkit - which is always available for download at: http://tinyurl.com/O4I-toolkit

We also want to thank all of you who tried to get meetings and came up short. Thanks to our volunteer Zoe, who stepped up to help folks schedule meetings, we learned how difficult it can be to get an appointment, even at the local level.

For those of you who are here in the US, and who can step forward, we ask that you continue to try to contact your Congressperson's local office and set up a meeting. If your Representative has already signed on as a co-sponsor of the UAFA, you can still request a meeting to talk with them more about when they think this bill will come to a floor vote, how they think our issue will fare in any discussions on CIR and ask them if they can persuade any of their colleagues to join them in championing equal immigration rights. For those of you who are living in exile, who are unable to attend a meeting - know that those of us here are making these efforts with you in mind. And, that we know if you were here, you would do the same for us.

To everyone who can, please keep writing letters, making phone calls and circulating information through your blogs and all forms of social media. We need to keep raising awareness. By making people aware that harsh discrimination exists in America against LGBT Americans with foreign partners, that immigration rights are decidedly unequal, we will continue to change hearts and minds. And we will make change.