United American Families Act

Floor Speech

United American Families Act

Mr. QUIGLEY. Madam Speaker, as we begin to consider substantial comprehensive immigration proposals, I strongly urge my colleagues to remember what it means to achieve comprehensive reform.

We cannot forget a very important immigrant group in this country, binational GLBT couples. If we are to consider here on this floor a proposal deemed ``comprehensive,'' we must truly mean everyone. We must mean it when we say that you can be an American no matter the color of your skin, your religion, or who you love.

Congressman Honda has been courageous enough to tackle the issue of amending the Nation's immigration laws to allow U.S. citizens and permanent residents to sponsor their same-sex partners for family-based immigration through the United American Families Act.

In this debate, we have talked about keeping families together, but we cannot turn a blind eye to the children who have been taken from a family because they have two moms or two dads and one doesn't live in this country.

We talk about doing what is right, what is fair, and what is just, but we neglect to imagine the pain and suffering these families are going through because we as a government think it's our right to tell the people who they can love.

Source