WASHINGTON, Sept. 13 (UPI) -- A proposed overhaul of federal immigration laws would block citizenship to a foreign-born partner in states that allow same-sex marriages, a couple says.
Erwin de Leon, a Filipino in a same-sex marriage, will probably join 11 million undocumented immigrants in the United States when his student visa runs out next year, The Washington Post reported Monday.
De Leon and John Beddingfield were married in the District of Columbia in April after it granted gay couples the right to marry, but gay marriage is not federally guaranteed, the newspaper said.
"I grew up looking to this country for its ideals and really believe strongly that it is about equality, freedom and opportunity," de Leon said. "It is too bad that a small minority -- gays and lesbians -- are still treated as second-class citizens."
An analysis of census data found about 24,000 gay and lesbian couples in the United States in which one partner is not a citizen; most of the so-called "binational" couples live in states that don't allow gay marriage, the newspaper said.
That complicates proposed immigration reform, advocates say.
"It introduces a new controversial element to the issue, which will divide the faith community and further jeopardize chances for a fair and bipartisan compromise," said Kevin Appleby of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.
