Press
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Press Releases
Immigration Equality Responds to Convictions in the Murder of Ahmaud Arbery
New York, NY (November 24, 2021) – Today, a jury in Brunswick, Georgia found three white men guilty of murdering 25-year-old black man, Ahmaud Arbery. In response, Immigration Equality issued the following…
Immigration Equality Denounces Biden Administration’s Expulsion of Haitian Migrants and Asylum Seekers
New York, NY (September 22, 2021) — Statement from Bridget Crawford, Legal Director, Immigration Equality about the U.S. government’s cruelty toward Haitian migrants and asylum seekers at the U.S. border: “Over 10,000 Haitian…
New USCIS Policy Acknowledges Marriages of Same-Sex Couples and Their Right To Confer U.S. Birthright Citizenship to Their Children
New York, NY (August 10, 2021) –
Last week, United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) released a policy alert and updated their policy manual, removing the requirement that in order to confer U.S. birthright citizenship to their child, a married U.S. citizen parent must be biologically related to the child.
Immigration Equality Responds to USCIS Policy Change Impacting Queer Families
Statement from Aaron C. Morris, Executive Director, Immigration Equality: “The recent change in USCIS policy is an important step in overcoming the federal government’s previous archaic, narrow, and unlawful definition of what…
Immigration Equality’s Executive Director Slams Biden Administration’s Extension of Title 42
Statement from Aaron C. Morris, Executive Director, Immigration Equality: “Using Title 42 to block the entry of refugees into the U.S. is an absolute abomination. It goes against what Americans have stood…
NGOs Demand Release of Transgender and HIV-Positive People from Immigration Detention
New York, NY (June 16, 2021) – Today, a group of NGOs submitted a letter to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement demanding all detained people who are LGBTQ or living with HIV be released from immigration detention facilities immediately.
Biden Admin Ends Unfair ‘Remain in Mexico’ Policy for Asylum Seekers
New York, NY (June 2, 2021) — Immigration Equality Legal Director Bridget Crawford released the following statement: We applaud the end to the illegal Remain in Mexico program. President Trump created a humanitarian disaster with…
State Department Ends Policy That Denied Citizenship to Children of Same-Sex Couples
New York, NY (May 18, 2021) — Today, the U.S. State Department eliminated a longstanding policy refusing to acknowledge the U.S. citizenship of the children of many married same-sex couples. Previously, the State Department claimed…
Immigration Equality Responds to President Biden’s Action on Refugee Admissions
New York, NY (May 3, 2021) — Immigration Equality Executive Director Aaron C. Morris released the following statement: Today, the White House announced that it would accept resettlement of up to 62,500…
Immigration Equality Responds to the State of Minnesota v. Derek Chauvin
New York, NY (April 20, 2021) — Immigration Equality Executive Director Aaron C. Morris released the following statement: Today, the United States took an important step toward unravelling a tragic, uniquely American pattern that so often exonerates…
Immigration Equality Denounces Rise in Anti-Asian Violence in U.S.
We strongly condemn the recent attacks in Atlanta, Georgia and the rise in violence against people of Asian descent across the country. We mourn the loss of those who died in the…
Immigration Equality Responds to President Biden’s Action on Immigration
February 5, 2021 (NEW YORK, NY) Statement from Bridget Crawford, Immigration Equality’s Legal Director: Immigration Equality welcomes the actions by President Biden this week that affirm his commitment to LGBTQ immigrants’ rights. …
Federal Judge Blocks Trump Administration’s “Death to Asylum” Rule
January 8, 2020 (San Francisco, CA)—In response to a request from Immigration Equality, Lambda Legal, and Kramer Levin Naftalis & Frankel LLP, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California issued an order today blocking, in its entirety a…
Immigration Equality and Lambda Legal Challenge Trump Administration’s “Death to Asylum” Rule
“If the ban is allowed to go forward, the U.S. will deport thousands of LGBTQ and HIV-positive refugees back to persecution, torture, and death.” December 21, 2020 (San Francisco, CA)—Today, Immigration Equality,…
Victory! U.S. citizenship of children of married same-sex couples is secure after U.S. Department of State folds following mounting court losses
October 27, 2020 (RICHMOND, VA AND ATLANTA, GA) – On Monday, two key legal victories on behalf of married same-sex couples and their children became final after the U.S. State Department withdrew its…
Appellate Court Upholds Previous Ruling That Twin Son of Gay Married Couple Born Abroad is U.S. Citizen from Birth
October 9, 2020 (Pasadena, CA) – Today, a panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit unanimously upheld a lower court ruling recognizing the citizenship from birth of Ethan Dvash-Banks, a twin boy born abroad by surrogacy to Andrew and Elad Dvash-Banks, a married gay couple. Both courts found that the State Department had wrongly interpreted the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA).
Immigration Equality Mourns the Passing of Henry Van Ameringen, Honors His Philanthropy on Behalf of the LGBTQ Movement
JUNE 14, 2020 (NEW YORK, NY)— Statement from Aaron C. Morris, Immigration Equality’s Executive Director: “Henry van Ameringen’s life is a beautiful one to celebrate. He was one of the most influential…
Victory! Court Rules State Department Violated Law in Denying Passport to Married Same-Sex Couple’s Daughter
Simone Mize-Gregg is a U.S. citizen since birth, says Court, and orders State Department to Issue her a U.S. Passport (ATLANTA, GA — August 27, 2020) — A federal court in Georgia…
U.S. State Department Appeals Maryland Federal Court’s Decision Recognizing Child of Same-Sex Couple’s Citizenship from Birth
August 17, 2020 (RICHMOND, VA) – On Friday, the U.S. State Department appealed the June 17th decision of a Maryland federal district court that recognized the birthright citizenship of Kessem Kiviti, the child of married U.S. citizens, Roee and…
Federal Judge Hears Second Round of Oral Arguments in Case of Two-Year-Old Daughter of Married Same-Sex Couple Treated as “Born Out of Wedlock”
JUNE 29, 2020 (ATLANTA, GA) — A federal judge in Atlanta heard oral arguments today in a case brought by Immigration Equality, Lambda Legal, and pro bono counsel Morgan Lewis against the U.S. State Department for refusing to recognize the citizenship from birth of Simone Mize-Gregg, the two-year-old daughter of U.S. citizens, Derek Mize and Jonathan Gregg. The State Department’s policy treats the children of same-sex married couples as “born out of wedlock,” and then denies that they are citizens.
Immigration Equality Denounces Trump Administration’s Proposal to End Asylum
Statement from Bridget Crawford, Immigration Equality’s Legal Director: “We have never faced a threat to asylum like the one before us right now. The proposed rules are so draconian that almost no one would be deemed eligible for asylum—no matter how strong their claim, or how compelling their story…
Federal Court Orders Department of State to Recognize U.S. Citizenship of Child of Gay Couple Born Abroad
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE June 17, 2020 Contact: Kristen Thompson, Immigration Equality communications@immigrationequality.org | 310-780-0736 Samy Nemir, Lambda Legal snemir@lambdalegal.org | 202-672-4877 VICTORY! Federal Court Orders Department of State to Recognize U.S. Citizenship of…
Immigration Equality Joins 100+ LGBTQ Organizations to Condemn Racist Violence
“If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor.” Those words, written over 30 years ago by Archbishop Desmond Tutu, remind us that indifference can…
Federal Court Hears Oral Argument in Case of Child of Gay Maryland Couple Denied Recognition as U.S. Citizen
JUNE 5, 2020 (BALTIMORE, MD)—A federal court in Maryland heard arguments today in a case brought by Immigration Equality, Lambda Legal, and pro bono counsel Morgan Lewis on behalf of a married…
Immigration Equality Joins Calls for Justice in Ahmaud Arbery Killing
MAY 20, 2020 (NEW YORK, NY) — In response to the deadly shooting of 25-year-old Ahmaud Arbery, an unarmed black man killed by civilians in Georgia in February, Immigration Equality issued the following statement: “We…
ICE Releases Immigration Equality and Lambda Legal Clients Living with HIV
MAY 1, 2020 (BEAUMONT, TEXAS) — U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) late yesterday released two asylum seekers living with HIV who were detained at an ICE detention facility in eastern Texas, less…
Immigration Equality and Lambda Legal Urge ICE to Release Detainees Living with HIV
“Instead of being treated with dignity, these asylum seekers have been shackled, kept in the dark about the COVID-19 outbreak, and denied basic necessities to keep themselves safe.” APRIL 27, 2020 (BEAUMONT,…
ICE Refuses to Release Detained HIV-Positive Asylum Seekers Despite Life-Threatening COVID-19 Risk
Immigration Equality calls on DHS to release people living with HIV at imminent risk of infection MARCH 23, 2020 (NEW YORK, NY) — Today, Immigration Equality filed a complaint with the office of Civil Rights and…
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