Quigley Says Immigration Reform Can't Be 'Comprehensive' Without LGBT Rights

Press Release

Last night, Congressman Mike Quigley (D-IL) urged leadership and his colleagues to work toward inclusion of domestic partnerships in comprehensive immigration reform and the principles of the Uniting American Families Act (UAFA). UAFA amends immigration laws by extending the rights currently afforded to permanent partners of United States citizens to bi-national same-sex couples and their children as well. Quigley delivered the following speech on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives:

"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 our country: Bi-national, GLBT couples.

If we are to consider a proposal deemed "comprehensive" we must truly include 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 Uniting American Families Act.

In this debate, we've 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 the suffering these families are going through because we as a government think it's our right to tell people who they can love."

A longtime and tireless leader in the fight for equality, Quigley has emerged as a national advocate for the LGBT community, cosponsoring over a dozen bills that work toward equal rights in his first six months in office. Quigley also spoke recently at a Washington, DC rally calling for comprehensive immigration reform.

Following is a list of organizations, multi-national corporations, religious institutions, labor unions, and businesses that support the Uniting American Families Act.

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