Feds Drop Deportation Case For Gay Man

In what the New York Times says may be a precedent-setting decision, the federal government has dropped its deportation case against a gay Venezuelan legally married to an American man.

The announcement comes as immigration officials put into effect new, more flexible guidelines governing the deferral and cancellation of deportations, particularly for immigrants with no serious criminal records. Immigration lawyers and gay rights advocates said the decision represented a significant shift in policy and could open the door to the cancellation of deportations for other immigrants in same-sex marriages. “This action shows that the government has not only the power but the inclination to do the right thing when it comes to protecting certain vulnerable populations from deportation,” said the couple’s lawyer, Lavi Soloway. The case has been closely watched across the country by lawyers and advocates who viewed it as a test of the federal government’s position on the Defense of Marriage Act, a federal law that bars the federal government from recognizing same-sex marriages.

UAFA To Be Reintroduced In House

The Uniting American Families Act will be reintroduced in the U.S. House this Thursday by Rep. Jerrold Nadler and several other Democrats. Via press release from Nadler's office:

On Thursday, Congressman Jerrold Nadler (D-NY), the ranking Democrat on the Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren (D-CA), the ranking Democrat on the Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration, and Representatives John Conyers (D-MI), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Jared Polis (D-CO), Mike Honda (D-CA), Luis Gutierrez (D-IL), Jackie Speier (D-CA), and others will announce the re-introduction of the Uniting American Families Act (UAFA). This overdue legislation would allow gay and lesbian Americans to sponsor their permanent partners for legal residency in the United States, a right currently enjoyed only by married heterosexuals under immigration law. Because the U.S. does not legally recognize gay and lesbian couples and their children as families, many same-sex binational couples are torn apart. The announcement will take place at 1:00pm on Thursday, April 14th at the House Triangle in Washington D.C.

Like the latest edition of ENDA, advocates have dim hopes of the bill's approval in the GOP-dominated House.

Deine Papiere, Bitte

Today's luncheon at Netroots Nation is sponsored by MoveOn.org. And before one can enter the cavernous convention ballroom, agents from ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) will stop you and demand identification. "Joe, you don't look like you're from around here. This ID is unacceptable. I'm going to have to ask you to step aside and be photographed for our records." Everybody laughs and plays along, but the point is made.

Tweet Of The Day - AZ Gov. Jan Brewer

In less than 48 hours, the nation's teabaggers have contributed almost $1M to a legal fund created to fight the Obama administration's lawsuit against Arizona's racist law allowing the detention of anybody who looks like they might be undocumented.