skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Thursday, March 28, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Pulling back the curtains on wage-theft enforcement in MN; Trump's latest attack is on RFK, Jr; NM LGBTQ+ equality group endorses 2024 'Rock Star' candidates; Michigan's youth justice reforms: Expanded diversion, no fees.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Republicans float conspiracy theories on the collapse of Baltimore's Key Bridge, South Carolina s congressional elections will use a map ruled unconstitutional, and the Senate schedules an impeachment trial for Homeland Secretary Myorkas.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Historic wildfires could create housing and health issues for rural Texans, a Kentucky program helps prison parolees start a new life, and descendants of Nicodemus, Kansas celebrate the Black settlers who journeyed across the 1870s plains seeking self-governance.

Rallying for Immigration Reform – and Gay & Lesbian Couples’ Inclusion

play audio
Play

Thursday, April 11, 2013   

CHARLESTON, W.Va. - As Washington, D.C., and state capitols around the country were flooded with immigration reform advocates Wednesday, some made sure their lobbying, marching and rallying addressed the possibility that gay and lesbian couples will be left out of reform legislation expected to emerge in Congress shortly.

Monica Hernandez, Southeast Immigrant Rights Network, was knocking on senators' doors at the Dirksen Office Building. She was concerned about published reports that the bill will not include provisions allowing same-sex couples to apply for green cards for non-citizen partners.

"That is a key way that a lot of people have been able to regularize their status," she said, "and it's not an option for LGBT families."

The White House has urged Congress to include same-sex couples in immigration legislation, but Republicans working on reform are opposed.

Demonstrators also took the Obama administration to task for the continuing high numbers of deportations. Hernandez said she appreciated the administration's efforts to unite LGBT families through its marriage-equality stance, but added that the President falls short.

"We also need him to address the other side of the coin," she said, "which is the massive deportation and detentions of our families and our communities. In fact, this administration has deported more people than any other president."

Immigration laws currently do not treat gay and lesbian couples as legitimate family on green-card petitions because DOMA, the federal Defense of Marriage Act, does not recognize same-sex marriages, Hernandez explained.

"We are calling for the immigration reform to provide the opportunity for all families, including LGBT families, to be able to regularize their status," she said.

Some think the best chance for what are known as "bi-national" gay and lesbian families rests with the Supreme Court, which is currently considering the constitutionality of DOMA.




get more stories like this via email

more stories
A report from the Tennessee HealthCare Campaign recommended the federal government needs to strengthen 340B drug pricing and other federal negotiation mechanisms to make needed medicines more readily available and less expensive for hospitals to purchase and administer. (Spotmatikphoto/AdobeStock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

A recent report examined how some rural Tennessee hospitals have managed to stay afloat despite financial challenges. The report includes interviews …


Social Issues

play sound

Earlier this month, a new Arizona Public Service rate hike went into effect and one senior advocacy group said those on a fixed income may struggle …

Social Issues

play sound

Michigan recently implemented a significant juvenile justice reform package following recommendations from a task force made up of prosecutors…


Nearly 13 million Americans receive health coverage through unique plans under both Medicare and Medicaid. They are known as Dual-Eligible Special Needs Plans. (Adobe Stock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

Medicare and Medicaid are key sources of health coverage for many Americans and some people qualify for assistance under both programs. With lagging …

Social Issues

play sound

A mix of policy updates and staffing boosts has helped to put wage theft enforcement on the radar in Minnesota, and officials leading the efforts are …

More than six in 10 Americans favor keeping the abortion pill mifepristone available in the U.S. as a prescription drug, while over a third are opposed, according to a Gallup poll. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

New research shows more than six in 10 abortions in the U.S. last year were medically induced, and U.S. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto - D-NV - is …

Social Issues

play sound

Colorado is working to boost the state's agricultural communities by getting more fresh, nutritious foods into school cafeterias - and a new online …

Social Issues

play sound

Missouri lawmakers are concerned with protecting people from the potential risks of the increasing accessibility of AI-generated images and videos…

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021