Imagine what it feels like to have a bad day. We can all do that. With the way the world is right now, with the economy failing, home foreclosures at an all time peak and unemployment figures reaching numbers we haven’t seen since the great depression. Now think about what that day would be like if you were being forced to go home to an empty house because the United States Governments immigration laws forbid you to legally be with the one you love. Think about how the United States immigration laws make it easier for you to acquire a pet visa or a mail order bride visa than it is to acquire a visa for your partner who is a foreign national.
Today, gay and lesbian United States citizens cannot sponsor their foreign born partners for immigration, no matter how long they have been together or how committed their relationship. United States immigration law is based on the principle of 'family unification.' Accordingly, it allows U.S. citizens to reunite with their parents, children, siblings and spouses by sponsoring these family members for immigration. Gay and lesbian families are not afforded this basic dignity. According to the 2000 Census, over 36,000 couples are affected by this discrimination. Many are forced into exile and move to one of the 19 countries that offer immigration benefits to same sex couples, where others, like myself are forced to be separated from the one I love.
On February 12, 2009 Representative Jerrold Nadler (D-New York) and Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vermont) re-introduced The United American Families Act, a bill seeking to enable gay Americans to sponsor their foreign same-sex partners for legal residency in the United States.
ITS NOT ABOUT MARRIAGE!!
The Uniting American Families Act (UAFA) seeks to provide U.S. citizens the right to sponsor their partners for immigration- it does not redefine marriage. It has nothing to do with marriage.
WHAT ABOUT FRAUD?
Applicants for permanent partnership benefits would face the same interview process that married couples face. Criminal penalties and deportation for fraud would provide an increased deterrent against sham marriages, and they should do the same to deter against fraudulent permanent partnerships.
Despite what you may believe about same sex relationships, its cant be denied that they exist. And these relationships are families. The Uniting American Families Act is designed to keep families together legally not tear them apart as current immigration laws are forcing many into.
I urge everyone who supports families to contact their congress members and let them know that American families will grow stronger with the passage of the Uniting American Families Act. You can email them directly or find your congress members phone number through Congress.org
For More Information go to: out4immigration.org
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