Immigration Equality Supports DREAM Act Passage

For Immediate Release                                                                                 Contact:  Steve Ralls
September 15, 2010                                                (202) 347-7007 / sralls@immigrationequality.org

Immigration Equality Action Fund
Calls for Swift Passage of DREAM ActGroup Notes Measure Would Benefit Large Number of LGBT Youth

Washington, DC – The Immigration Equality Action Fund, which advocates on Capitol Hill for equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender (LGBT) and HIV-positive immigrants and their families, today urged lawmakers to support passage of the Development, Relief and Education of Alien Minors Act (DREAM Act), noting that the measure would benefit countless LGBT youth by providing them with a path to citizenship in the United States.  Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) announced on Tuesday that he would schedule a vote on the bill, which includes a path to citizenship via military service, as an amendment to the Department of Defense Authorization Act next week.

“The DREAM Act is a critical step forward in addressing our country’s broken immigration system,” said Rachel B. Tiven, the group’s executive director.  “Many of the young, undocumented people who would benefit from its passage are lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender.  For them, and all undocumented youth, DREAM provides an opportunity to build a life, and fully participate, in the country they call home.  Congress should address the full array of obstacles and discrimination immigrants and their families face under our current immigration system, and passage of the DREAM Act is an important first step in doing just that.”

The DREAM Act will be proposed as part of DoD Authorization, which will also include a measure to repeal the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” ban on lesbian and gay service members.  Without repeal, the group noted, it would be impossible for undocumented LGBT youth to fully participate in the opportunities offered by DREAM. 

“The DREAM Act offers two paths to citizenship, and one of those is through service in our armed forces,” Tiven added.  “As long as the military’s ban remains in place, however, that path is unavailable to LGBT youth who want to serve their adopted country through military enlistment.  As such, it is critical that Congress pass both DREAM and repeal of ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ so that all young people have an opportunity to truly be part of the fabric of our nation.”

“We need an immigration system that treats everyone fairly and honors our history as a nation of immigrants,” Tiven concluded.  “Every member of the American family – including LGBT young people, binational families and asylum seekers, deserve a fair shake at being part of the American dream. That’s also why Congress must urgently pass other family unification measures such as the Uniting American Families Act, the Reuniting Families Act and a comprehensive legislative package that protects all families, too.”

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Immigration Equality Action Fund advocates on Capitol Hill for equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and HIV-positive immigrants and their families. To end discrimination in U.S. immigration law, Immigration Equality Action Fund works to pass the Uniting American Families Act and LGBT-inclusive Comprehensive Immigration Reform. The Action Fund lobbies legislators and other policy makers, builds coalitions, and empowers LGBT immigrant families around the country to fight for change.