Gay U.S. citizens seek to claim residency for foreign spouses

July 06, 2010

Posted by Alfonso Chardy and Steve Rothaus on miamiherald.com:

"Juan Carlos Galán and Greg Nardi of Miami Beach live together as a couple and would like to get married.

"Then Nardi, a U.S. citizen, would claim Galán as a relative and help the Panama-born computer expert get a green card.

"For now, though, these are just dreams -- unless President Barack Obama can convince Congress to pass immigration reform.

"Rep. Luis Gutierrez, D-Ill., who in December introduced the first immigration reform bill of the current congressional session, announced in May that he intends to add provisions that would include same-sex couples and their families.

"Gutierrez plans to incorporate into his bill language from the Uniting American Families Act, offered by Rep. Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y., a longtime proponent of the measure.

"'Our immigration system must reflect the reality of our economy and society and how we treat same-sex couples and families is just one example,' Gutierrez said. 'Right now, too many same-sex binational couples face an impossible choice: to live apart or break the law to be with their partners, families and children. That's not good for them, and it is not good for the rest of us either.'"

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