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URGENT ACTION- PLEASE Call Now!! Senators to Consider Stand-Alone Bills – UAFA for Bi-nationals

Posted by: Lez Get Real on June 16, 2010.

Tan Mercado family and Twins With Senator Feinstein- Family is still at Risk until passage of UAFA

06-16-10 Melanie Nathan

We have learned that a meeting between the four Senators below is scheduled for THURSDAY (tomorrow) focusing on WHICH stand-alone immigration bills might fly (probably via attachment to another vehicle such as the Defense Bill or Farm Worker Safety bill).

The Uniting American Families Act (UAFA, ) H.R. 1024, S. 424) is a U.S. bill to amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to eliminate discrimination in the immigration laws by permitting permanent partners of United States citizens and lawful permanent residents to obtain lawful permanent resident status in the same manner as spouses of citizens and lawful permanent residents and to penalize immigration fraud in connection with permanent partnerships.

1. The UAFA was introduced during the 111th Congress, to the United States House of Representatives on February 12, 2009, by New York Congressman Jerrold Nadler (D-NY).

2. On April 22, 2009, Senator Feinstein introduced a rare private Bill # 867 into Congress , to keep Shirley Tan, a Pacifica Lesbian mother of twin 13 year olds, in the country after a debauched legal process that ultimately led to her ICE detention, after 23 years in the USA, living in relationship with her partner Jay Mercado.

3. On June 03, 2009 Senator Patrick Leahy led the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing for UAFA, where the proponent testimony was provided by Shirley Tan,( introduced by Rep. Jackie Speier,) Julian Bond, Gordon Stewart (Exiled US citizen in bi-national relationship)- and also the American bar Association.

4. On June 4^th – Immigration Equality decided that the only way for UAFA to pass would be through Comprehensive Immigration reform, which they touted as imminent week after week and month after month thereafter. From that date to this date (June 16, 2010) over a year, they have spent on lobbying for UAFA’s inclusion into Immigration reform, (CIR) citing the chances as better than a stand alone. II have opposed this unilateral strategy vehemently. All we have at this point is opposition from the right, the religious lobby, fervently supported by anti-gay rhetoric that such will open the door to gay marriage.

In addition to the battle vs, Gays, we will see an enormous amount of opposition to the other ideals presented in the recently published “framework for reform” such as amnesty for the 12 million undocumented immigrants – (the right will oppose) and the biometric card (the left will oppose) and the Border fences (G-d will oppose) and UAFA (The religious and Republicans will oppose.) Get the point?

NOW Activists who have been asking for leadership to revisit UAFA as a stand alone

Are asking for YOUR help. We need you to get on those PHONES NOW and call the Senators listed below and BEG them politely to consider bringing UAFA to the floor ASAP,

TEN REASONS WHY UAFA Should be a first choice Stand Alone Bill and Why it is Urgent.

1. Out of all the stand alone Bills it has had the MOST sponsorship in Congress and for that reason alone it should be included:

Co-sponsors total end of June ’09: (As you can see – when the strategy changed from Stand alone to CIR, Immigration Equality reduced the impetus in sponsorship for UAFA – In the first five months (Feb 09 – June 09) since the Bills introduction in Congress we gained House 113 and Senate 20 co=-sponsors. After reverting to the CIR strategy (in a period of one year) – we only added 11 in the House and 3 in the senate. To my way of thinking, when immigration equality led us down the CIR path, UAFA as a stand-alone did not receive the added sponsorship it should have, give the Shirley Tan platform. This point is important to make at this time – because we may find ourselves having to explain why such little support has been garnished for UAFA in the past year. The simple answer is that Immigration Equality made a mistake in its strategy and in its claim for ownership[ of the issue, led everyone down the CIR path at the expense of UAFA as a stand-alone Bill. We failed to seize the momentum when we had the 5 month Boost, and veered off course.

2. This is remedial legislation that establishes equality and justice for Americans and US residents, who are specifically discriminated against by the Federal Law.

3. What could be more hurtful and insidious than the EXILE of our own US citizens –those who are compelled to leave everything – just so that they can live with the love of their choice.

4. The enormous cost to binational couples – who are resorting to extraordinary lengths to maintain contact and constant travel abroad to be with their wives, husbands and partners.

5. Separation of siblings and parent from child in shared custody arrangements.

6. To prevent fraudulent straight marriages between desperate gay couples.

7. To help us amend the strategy of tagging onto CIR that has done little than keep our families and couples exiled for yet another year.

8. The damage to careers and the awful brain drain of our exiled families.

9. Several States, Counties, Cities, Towns and organizations are either about to or have already passed resolutions in support of UAFA, citing inequity based on the reprehensible anomaly that pits State law against Federal Law.

10. It is the right thing to do!

UAFA is not an immigration bill per se, it is an equality BILL and a democratic Congress must not turn its back on the desperate amongst our own.

SO TODAY PLEASE -

Please call all four Senators below and ask them to push the Uniting American Families Act (UAFA) as a stand alone bill! Ask your family and friends to do so as well!

Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA)
331 Hart Senate Office Building,
District of Columbia 20510-0504
Phone: (202) 224-3841
Fax: (202) 228-3954

Senator Robert Menendez (D-NJ)
528 Hart Senate Office Building,
District of Columbia 20510-3004
Phone: (202) 224-4744
Fax: (202) 228-2197

Senator Harry Reid (D-NV)
522 Hart Senate Office Building,
District of Columbia 20510-2803
Phone: (202) 224-3542
Fax: (202) 224-7327

Senator Chuck Schumer (D-NY)
313 Hart Senate Office Building,
District of Columbia 20510-3203
Phone: (202) 224-6542
Fax: (202) 228-3027

RESOLUTIONS PASSED BY
STATEOFCALIFORNIA – Passed resolution through the Assembly and through Senate Judiciary Committee and it has now been referred to the California Senate Floor and will probably pass in the next two weeks.

• City of Albany, NY
• City of Berkeley, CA
• City of Binghamton, NY
• City of Cambridge, MA
• City of Campbell, CA
• City of Chicago, IL
• City of Ferndale, MI
• City of Hartford, CT
• City of Los Angeles, CA
• City of Miami Beach, FL
• City of Minneapolis, MN
• City of New York, NY
• City of San Francisco, CA
• City of St. Louis, MO
• City of Seattle, WA
• City of Troy, NY
• City of Washington, DC
• City of West Hollywood, CA