It’s not surprising. But homophobia is masquerading as the winning-strategy for ‘immigration reform.’

Who cares about the 36,000 same-sex bi-national couples that are pleading to be included in any comprehensive immigration legislation?

The Uniting American Families Act (S.424 and H.R. 1024) is the most popular pro-migrant bill in Congress, with 116 House co-sponsors and 22 co-sponsors in the Senate. It changes our immigration laws drastically and rocks the moral fabric of our nation! How? By introducing the concept of ‘permanent partners’ into U.S. immigration law. UAFA would allow gay and lesbian couples in the United States to sponsor their foreign partners for immigration just like heterosexual couples have the right to sponsor each other.

Yes, the legislation is so radical and path-breaking that it will help even those couples who consider themselves a family, love one another and want to stay together! How dare these LGBT couples dream of living a life of dignity, safe from persecution and unwanted political bullshit?!

The United States, once again, is facing an exodus of talented and educated people leaving the country though they are not escaping back to India. UAFA-eligible couples have sometimes struggled vehemently to follow the law and keep each other in status. This may include spending 6 months here and 6 months in the country of partner with foreign citizenship status. Many couples have (rightly) packed their belongings and left for Canada, which allows them to stay together without the threat of separation every few months.

But we don’t want to include these couples in any comprehensive bill. The faith-based groups will get mad and withdraw their support for reforming immigration!

So what if including UAFA in comprehensive immigration reform INCREASES the number of likely co-sponsors and supporters for the bill?

So what if no other grassroots movement has the combination of money and momentum as the LGBT rights movement?

So what if building a broader progressive alliance for immigration reform is in our best political and economic interests?

Just imagine the havoc it would wreck on all of us. We dare not disappoint the faith-based groups who have done so much for immigration reform in the recent past. Erm, what exactly have they done?

Oh, that’s right. “Si se puede. Si se puede…”