Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman John Kerry (D-MA) has asked the Obama Administration to grant asylum to Genesio Oliveira, a Brazilian national who married his partner in Massachusetts but was then forced back to Brazil.
Could we finally see a firm stance against uneven immigration policies for same-sex couples? Once again, DOMA (I have such disdain for that acronym) prohibits gay and lesbian citizens from sponsoring their foreign partners, regardless of the legality of such marriage in their place of residence. Why? The federal government doesn't recognize same-sex couple under the law.
Genesio Oliveira has been separated from his husband Tim Coco since August 2007 when his application for asylum and an appeal were denied. Mr. Oliveira cited sexual abuse and fears of being prosecuted for homosexuality in his application. John Kerry has called Immigration Judge Francis L. Cramer's denial of asylum "outrageous" and urges the Obama Administration to intervene.
"Nobody’s asking to overturn or change the federal law. This is really a humanitarian situation that deserves an appropriate focus," Kerry told the AP.
Mr. Kerry, you had me at hello, but lost me in the semantics. How can you co-sponsor the Uniting American Families Act which would allow gay men and lesbians from other countries to become legal residents based on their permanent relationships with American citizens, support a binational couple forced to be apart, and then state you are aren't asking for federal immigration reform?
Perhaps it is I who is lost in the political game, but Kerry's tap dance in the oval office may just be a prelude to increased pressure on immigration judges until the fruitless anti-LGBT policies that forced the issues in the first place are overturned. There is more than one way to spin your way toward equal protection. If this is indeed his dip, smooth move Senator.
Image: Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman John Kerry (D-MA) takes an elevator after leaving the Senate floor in the U.S. Captiol January 26, 2009 in Washington, DC. © Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images.
Well, it’s hopeful, anyway.
TRiG.