Sun 30 Sep 2012 In: International News View at Wayback View at NDHA
File photo US immigration officials have been ordered to recognise same-sex partners as family members in deportation cases. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano has told House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi in a letter that she has ordered US Immigration and Customs Enforcement to notify its field offices "that the interpretation of the phrase 'family relationships' includes long-term, same-sex partners." Pelosi has in turn welcomed the federal recognition of gay and lesbian couples. "We need to ... relegate Doma to the dustbin of history,” she said, referring to the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act bars the federal government from extending federal benefits, such as Social Security, to married gay and lesbian couples. The US Supreme Court is expected to decide next month whether it will review a number of cases questioning the constitutionality of Doma. "This is a huge step forward," says Rachel B. Tiven, executive director of Immigration Equality, a national gay-rights group. "Until now, LGBT families and their lawyers had nothing to rely on but an oral promise. The administration's written guidance will help families facing separation and the field officers who are reviewing their cases."
Credit: GayNZ.com Daily News staff
First published: Sunday, 30th September 2012 - 2:01pm