As part of an ongoing effort in support of comprehensive immigration reform that includes lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) immigrants and their families, the Human Rights Campaign, the nation’s largest LGBT civil rights organization, has released a statement of principles entitled Comprehensive & Inclusive Immigration Reform: Nine Problems Deserving Solutions.
There are an estimated 1 million LGBT adult immigrants, of which about two-thirds are documented and one-third are undocumented—and an estimated 32,300 LGBT binational couples are living in the U.S. today. With these dramatic numbers in mind, the document is organized by HRC’s four guiding principles in support of immigration reform: Keep LGBT Families Together, Create a Pathway to Citizenship, Improve the U.S. Asylum System for LGBT Applicants, and Protect the Health and Safety of LGBT Immigrants. Under each principle, key problems are highlighted that urgently requires legislative solutions.
“The immigration system is in desperate need of reform and that reform must include LGBT immigrants and families,” said HRC President Chad Griffin. “Comprehensive immigration reform is about protecting those who are vulnerable and living in the shadows.”
HRC is also launching a public education effort within the LGBT community on the importance of immigration reform. HRC will chronicle the stories of a diverse group of Americans who are harmed every day by this country’s immigration laws. In addition, HRC will capitalize on its presence at 175 LGBT pride festivals across the country to inform and educate.
HRC is a national member of the Ya Es Hora campaign, where we have mobilized more than 500 volunteers for 40 citizenship workshops in 20 communities over the past three years throughout the United States. HRC has been a leader in the push for the Uniting American Families Act (UAFA), a bill that would give lesbian and gay individuals the same opportunity as opposite-sex, married couples to sponsor their partners for family-based immigration, keeping families together.
View Inclusive Immigration Reform: Nine Problems Deserving Solutions at: www.hrc.org/immigration.
The Human Rights Campaign is America’s largest civil rights organization working to achieve lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender equality. By inspiring and engaging all Americans, HRC strives to end discrimination against LGBT citizens and realize a nation that achieves fundamental fairness and equality for all.
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