DOMA Repeal Bill Could Give Same-Sex Couples Equal Protection Under Immigration Laws

by Jennifer McFadyen, About.com Guide to Immigration Issues

Congressman Jerrold Nadler (D-NY), Chair of the House Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights and Civil Liberties, Congresswoman Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) and Congressman Jared Polis (D-CO), along with Congressman John Conyers (D-MI), Congressman John Lewis (D-GA), Congresswoman Nydia Velazquez (D-NY) and Congresswoman Barbara Lee (D-CA), with a total of 91 original co-sponsors to date, introduced the Respect for Marriage Act in the House of Representatives on Septemeber 15. This legislation would repeal the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), a 1996 law which discriminates against lawfully married same-sex couples.

Joe Solmonese, President of the Human Rights Campaign says in the press release that one of the protections same-sex legally married couples would have under the Respect for Marriage Act would be "equal protection under U.S. immigration laws." If that's the case, this bill could be an important piece of legislation for American citizens and their foreign same-sex spouses. (Read more)