LGBTI IMMIGRATION GROUP: Finding a solution to ensure same-sex bi-national couples remain together

¨Finding a legislative solution to ensure same-sex bi-national couples remain together in the United States is receiving renewed attention as an LGBT immigration group took part in White House talks on Tuesday on comprehensive reform.

President Obama held two separate meetings at the White House on Tuesday to encourage support for his vision for comprehensive immigration reform, which includes — as laid out last week in his plan — a provision that would enable gay Americans to sponsor a same-sex foreign partner for residency in the United States.

The meeting in the morning was with 16 immigration and progressive groups, such as the AFL-CIO, the Center for American Progress, the National Council of la Raza, the National Immigration Forum; the meeting in the afternoon was with 12 business leaders, such as the Goldman Sachs Group, Yahoo!, Deloitte LLP, and the Coca-Cola company.

Rachel Tiven, executive director of Immigration Equality, was among those who participated in the meeting with progressive groups and was the sole LGBT group at the table.

“I think it was really an affirmation of the strategy that Immigration Equality has developed over many years, which is that we wanted to be just as much the LGBT group at the immigration table, as we had already become the immigration group at the LGBT table,” Tiven said.

While straight Americans can sponsor their foreign spouses for a green card through a marriage-based application, gay Americans are unable to do the same because of the Defense of Marriage Act and because they cannot marry in many places within the country...¨  

Thanks to The Washington Blade, sidebar

http://www.washingtonblade.com/2013/02/05/lgbt-immigration-group-takes-part-in-white-house-meeting/