Activists urge immigration rights for same-sex couples

FLAGGOn the 50th anniversary of the iconic “I have a dream” speech made by Martin Luther King, advocates for immigration rights for same-sex couples made use of the Washington DC celebration as a forum within which to initiate change.

The Washington Times says that activists intend to honor the civil rights movement from 1963 by putting a spotlight onto the creation of a pathway to US citizenship for undocumented immigrants living in the United States as well as equal treatment for same-sex couples who are seeking immigration rights.  Many believe that the time has now come for immigration reform following the ruling in June this year that the Defense of Marriage Act was unconstitutional.

“Under DOMA, same-sex married couples have their lives burdened, by reason of government decree, in visible and public ways,” Justice Anthony Kennedy declared in the United States v.  Windsor ruling.  “DOMA’s principal effect is to identify a subset of state-sanctioned marriages and make them unequal.”  With the foundation having now been laid for gay marriage immigration, a number of same-sex couples have started to get good news in the shape of green cards.

CNN says that the advocacy group known as Immigration Quality estimates that there are as many as 36,000 bi-national same-sex couples in the United States who will benefit positively from the legislation.  While some may have to wait up to nine months to get a green card, the overturning of DOMA is seen by activists as a big step in the fight for comprehensive immigration reform.