Every day we hear from desperate couples and their families, forced to choose between the partner they love and the country they love, which is why we are fighting to change the immigration law and end this discrimination.
The term “binational couples” refers to couples in which one partner is a U.S. citizen and the other is a citizen of another country. The term ‘”dual foreign national couples” means couples in which both partners are citizens of a country other than the U.S. Because of the so-called Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), which defines marriage as “between one man and one woman,” even lesbian and gay couples who have been legally married in U.S. states or foreign countries are not able to immigrate based on their marriage.
We are working hard to end this discrimination, through legislative advocacy, administrative advocacy, and litigation. In April 2012, we filed a lawsuit in the Eastern District of New York challenging the constitutionality of DOMA. Meanwhile, we work with individual couples to try to find temporary solutions to stay together pending a permanent end to the discrimination.
