The Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC) today released their framework for immigration reform. One Nation: Principles on Immigration Reform and Our Commitment to the American Dream addresses a number of key principles and constituencies. Section 2 explicitly covers bi-national, same-sex couples, stating that the CHC will:

Protec[t] the unity and sanctity of the family, including the families of bi-national, same-sex couples, by reducing the family backlogs and keeping spouses, parents, and children together.

CHC has made a crucial commitment to ending discrimination against bi-national, same-sex couples who currently face an untenable immigration situation because the federal government fails to fully recognize their families. “One Nation” and legislation in Congress known as the Uniting American Families Act (UAFA) serve as meaningful steps toward keeping these families together. UAFA allows same-sex “permanent partners” to be united legally through the US immigration process, making them eligible for green cards and immigrant visas. To protect against abuse, UAFA imposes the same penalties for immigration fraud as those currently imposed on married heterosexual couples – and in some cases sets the bar higher for same-sex couples.

PFAW enthusiastically supports the “One Nation” commitment to LGBT equality.