Gutierrez Releases Comprehensive Immigration Reform Principles
Take Action to support inclusion of our families in comprehensive immigration reform!
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At a Reform Immigration for Families: Family Unity Can’t Wait rally at the Capitol yesterday, Congressman Luis Gutierrez (D-IL) spoke about the need for comprehensive immigration reform and released a set of principles that he feels should guide Congress’ comprehensive immigration reform effort. These included a pathway to citizenship for the undocumented, family unification, and humane treatment of immigrants.
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Congressman Gutierrez is a key leader of immigration reform in Congress and heads the influential Congressional Hispanic Caucus’ Immigration Task Force. He is also a strong supporter of LGBT rights and a cosponsor of the Uniting American Families Act (UAFA).
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Immigration Equality participated in the rally and received a lot of positive feedback and support from other attendees.
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The family unification section of Gutierrez’ principles included the following statement:
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Family is the bedrock of our society, and immigration reform must support strong, united families and treat all immigrant families fairly and equally.
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Congressman Gutierrez is expected to write a comprehensive immigration reform (CIR) bill later this fall. Through his principles, he definitely opened the door for inclusion of our families and UAFA in CIR.
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It is up to our community to build strong support for our inclusion in CIR – and for CIR itself. CIR is critical to the LGBT community for family unification through UAFA. It is also critical for other LGBT community members who call Immigration Equality’s hotline regularly. As Ron Buckmire of Immigration Equality’s Board of Directors stated recently:
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LGBT families need immigration reform of all kinds. We don’t just need recognition of our loving, committed partnerships – we need to grow up in intact, safe homes with our parents and extended family there to provide us support, not separated by decade-long visa lines. We need enough work visas so that people like me who got a PhD. in the U.S. don’t take our skills elsewhere. We need a path to citizenship so queer kids brought here as babies aren’t treated like criminals. We need to know that if we are detained in immigration jail, we will not be targeted based on our sexual orientation or gender identity.
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We must remain vigilant to ensure that our families are included in any comprehensive immigration reform bill, and that Congress passes CIR to fix our broken immigration system. Call the U.S. Capitol Switchboard at 202-224-3121, ask for your House Representative, and tell him or her:
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Please support the Uniting American Families Act and Reuniting Families Act which allow gays and lesbians to sponsor our partners for immigration. Make sure that any comprehensive immigration reform bill ends discrimination against gay and lesbian families by including the Uniting American Families Act.
Rep Chu, Judy [CA-32] just signed on as a cosponsor for UAFA in the House.
Total is now 118.
Comment by Sue — October 15, 2009 @ 8:44 am
Great news, thanks Sue! It’s been a while since we got new sponsors.
Comment by Joe — October 15, 2009 @ 10:22 am
My NYS rep has been called…Done!!
Comment by Joe — October 15, 2009 @ 10:30 am
Great news about Judy Chu! She was one of the members of Congress Out4Immigration was contacting this week. Please everyone keep up the good work!
Comment by Tom — October 15, 2009 @ 11:32 am
is it 117 or 118? Great, one more sponsor. Hopefully it will break the 120 soon
Comment by Chung Cheng Fang — October 15, 2009 @ 11:49 am
118 including Nadler
Comment by Sue — October 15, 2009 @ 12:26 pm
Julie is right, sometimes I wonder, where are the 36 thousand couples, by the post on the blogs I can account for 30 of us. We need to keep pressure up, so we do not get left out.
My bf and I will be in DC 26th and 27th of this month. We plan to swing by my congressman office to ask him one more time why he did not cosponsor UAFA even though he had gave us a promise on the meeting I had with him on September 1st. if anyone from DC would like to join us please let me know, my email is robertsamija26@yahoo.com
Comment by robert — October 15, 2009 @ 12:31 pm
…A quick “FYI” here everyone…
“Luis Gutierrez was on Lou Dobbs last night……in brief…was not on long
and the discussion focused “mainly” on/around 3 things…..
1)…A general amnesty blah blah blah
2)..path to legalisation/with and simultainiously Biometric’s / proof of identity etc
paid taxes and learn english
3)….tough/strict Boarder enforcement….
but in brief (others chime in If I get this wrong).but in brief
Luis came across strong and positive, and GOOD!….and Lou…seemed
“less arrogant and dominating than usual and did’nt rule or win/talk over Luis…( maybee lou dobbs is finally seeing the writing on the wall…?)
NOW the time slot was brief..BUT THERE WAS ABSOLUTLY NO MENTION of “UAFA” ……….
…..so..Im gonna write a couple of letter to “Luis” this week and FAX his Office and send the same letter snail mail also…….just to be sure
so LETS ALL KEEP THE PRESSURE ON HIM AND LET HIM KNOW!!
thnx
Comment by derek — October 15, 2009 @ 2:35 pm
Sir,
Its great to know that Mr. Guitierez outlined immigration reform. We all know the outlines since January 2004. When will the immigration bill be on the house of senate floor for voting?
Comment by jonny — October 15, 2009 @ 6:08 pm
Seems to me (certainly just a politics novice) all Immigration and/or LGBT bills will start to move only after the Prez succeeds with the health care reform. Patience may not only be a virture for us now but a reality we have to live with in this so called democracy.
Comment by Joe — October 16, 2009 @ 9:36 am
I disagree with your suggestion of patience Joe. Since you claim to be a political novice, I’ll let you know, right now is precisely when we should be pressuring our reps to sign on. While the media etc, are distracted by other things, we need to build our coalition and alliances, quietly behind the scenes. It’s folly to think every representative in Congress in going in every day and working sun up to sun down on health care reform. They are multi-tasking. We need to ask them to focus on OUR tasks. That’s how it works.
Comment by Clarknt67 — October 16, 2009 @ 8:54 pm
#10, we know all about patience. We’ve been waiting a decade now for UAFA (originally PPA) to move forward in Congress.
Comment by Jon — October 16, 2009 @ 11:35 pm
To no.7, My wife is from US (Leesville, Louisiana) & I’m from Malaysia. I don’t know much about UAFA but I know it means something that my wife & I can be together & don’t need to be in LDR anymore. So I want 118 to become 120, though not sure what will happen then.
I don’t want to hope / think that it will happen ’cause it can be so devastating when it doesn’t. I got rejected once for a tourist visa to US in 5Jun07 (was questioned very hard on my relationship with my “friend”), really so devastated, will try to apply again soon. So far, we only met in Malaysia (10Dec08-22Jan09,44 days) & Europe (19Aug-10Sep09,23 days).We know each other since 31Dec07, got married 31Dec08.
I thought if I failed my visa to US again, I feel like going to Mexico to stay near the border awhile (3-6 months), so that my wife can come to meet me often, it’s cheaper that way too. We always have to think ways to be together.
Some of our photos:-
PRE-WEDDING (18-19Dec08): http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3488/3952184233_4702ffc072.jpg
CHURCH WEDDING (31Dec08): http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2475/3974153530_ee5341ac76.jpg
HONEYMOON (5-9Jan09): http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2479/3974513796_d5f19b076d.jpg
EUROPE (19Aug-10Sep09): http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3527/3993326196_74ca089814.jpg
Comment by Cecilia — October 18, 2009 @ 11:06 pm