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April 26th, 2006, 10:18
Gay Asian-American groups send letter to Congress, president on immigration reform
As Congress reconvenes this week after its spring recess, Senate majority leader Bill Frist, House speaker Dennis Hastert, and President Bush were put on notice by a coalition of LGBT Asian-American groups that the immigration reform bill currently pending is largely unacceptable. Although the 40 signatories, spearheaded by Gay Asian and Pacific Islander Men of New York and representing several other states, commend a few provisions in the bill passed by the House last December, overall there's still work to be done, they say.
"Countless LGBTs are immigrants themselves," the groups said in a joint statement. "Of the nationтАЩs 12 million Asian-Americans, 69% are immigrants. The House bill adopted last December could subject the organizations to criminal prosecution simply for having undocumented members."
The statement continued: "Moreover, the House bill makes being an undocumented immigrant a felony. The same was true for LGBTs. Sexual relations between same-sex couples were criminal until the Supreme Court struck down sodomy laws."
Following is the complete text of the letter. (The Advocate)
www.advocate.com/news_detail_ektid30290.asp (http://www.advocate.com/news_detail_ektid30290.asp)
As Congress reconvenes this week after its spring recess, Senate majority leader Bill Frist, House speaker Dennis Hastert, and President Bush were put on notice by a coalition of LGBT Asian-American groups that the immigration reform bill currently pending is largely unacceptable. Although the 40 signatories, spearheaded by Gay Asian and Pacific Islander Men of New York and representing several other states, commend a few provisions in the bill passed by the House last December, overall there's still work to be done, they say.
"Countless LGBTs are immigrants themselves," the groups said in a joint statement. "Of the nationтАЩs 12 million Asian-Americans, 69% are immigrants. The House bill adopted last December could subject the organizations to criminal prosecution simply for having undocumented members."
The statement continued: "Moreover, the House bill makes being an undocumented immigrant a felony. The same was true for LGBTs. Sexual relations between same-sex couples were criminal until the Supreme Court struck down sodomy laws."
Following is the complete text of the letter. (The Advocate)
www.advocate.com/news_detail_ektid30290.asp (http://www.advocate.com/news_detail_ektid30290.asp)