Rep. Gutierrez wants path to citizenship for partners in same-sex relationships

Dan82 · May 21, 2010

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-100520-same-sex-couples-immigration-story,0,1589421.story

Illinois Congressman Luis Gutierrez on Thursday endorsed a plan that would allow the foreign-born partners of gay and lesbian Americans to follow the same path to citizenship as heterosexual spouses, adding a new element to the howling national debate over immigration reform.

About six months ago, when Gutierrez first laid out plans for a House immigration reform bill, the inclusion of same-sex partner rights seemed too politically risky. But now, in an exclusive interview with the Tribune, the congressman said he believes the coalition in favor of reform is strong enough to make the bill, in his words, "truly inclusive."

"The underlying part of any comprehensive immigration bill is family unity," Gutierrez said. "We need to speak more clearly and more articulately and more frequently that the (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) community, and same-sex couples and their bi-national relationships, are part of families."

What Gutierrez is proposing would give the foreign partners of American gays and lesbians the same right to apply for U.S. citizenship as the spouse of an American heterosexual. The 2000 U.S. Census estimated that there were more than 35,000 bi-national same-sex couples in the United States, a figure that advocates believe has grown significantly...
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Rep. Gutierrez wants path to citizenship for partners in same-sex relationships

Dan82 Full Member

Dan82
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