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Lesbian mom to be deported Friday
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Immigration Equality is calling on legislators to act on behalf of a Northern California family that may soon be torn apart because the parents are lesbians.
Because immigration laws discriminate against lesbian and gay couples, Shirley Tan will likely be deported this Friday, April 3. Tanwill be separated from her life partner Jaylynn “Jay” Mercado, their 12-year-old twin sons, and Jay’s 76-year-old mother, for whom Tanis the primary caretaker.
The deportation will send Tan back to the Philippines, where she was a victim of extreme violence.“From the moment my sons were born we have never been apart. It’s tearing me apart to have to leave without them,” Tan said.
Unlike straight Americans, Mercado cannot sponsor her partner of 23 years for immigration. The Uniting American Families Act (UAFA) would remedy this discrimination against gay and lesbian Americans and allow them to sponsor their partners for immigration. The bill, introduced by Sen. Patrick Leahy in the Senate and Rep. Jerrold Nadler in the House, has 110 cosponsors in Congress.
“Until the UAFA passes, families like Jay and Shirley’s are at terrible risk,” said Immigration Equality Executive Director Rachel B. Tiven. “We are hopeful their members of Congress will introduce a private bill that would spare their twin boys and the boys’ grandmother from having the country they love tear their family apart.”
Senators Barbara Boxer (D-CA) and Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) and Representative Jackie Speier (D-CA-12) represent Shirley and Jay in Congress. Boxer and Speier cosponsored the Uniting American Families Act.
“Shirley Tan’s unacceptable situation is just one example of why Congress must pass immigration equality legislation. The Uniting American Families Act, which I co-sponsored, will allow lesbian and gay Americans to sponsor their permanent partners for residency in the United States,” Speier said.
Across the country, 37,000 couples face similar circumstances.
Last week, the White House issued a statement about the Uniting American Families Act, saying “[President Obama] thinks Americans with partners from other countries should not be faced with a painful choice between staying with their partner or staying in their country.”
Immigration Equality is a national organization with offices in New York and Washington fighting for equality under U.S. immigration law for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and HIV-positive individuals.
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