Question: Can you describe what the landmark case of the Supreme Court has issued and ruled?
Answer: In short, the United States Supreme Court has ruled that DOMA is unconstitutional, and therefore, because of this ruling, DOMA is dead.
Q: What is the Defense of Marriage Act?
A: In 1996, Congress passed the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA). Section 3 of DOMA defines marriage as a legal union between one man and one woman. At the time DOMA was enacted, no state permitted same-sex marriages. Today, six states and the District of Columbia permit same-sex marriages; several other states honor out-of-state marriages and/or recognize civil unions.
Q: How does DOMA affect immigration cases?
A: There are approximately 36,000 same-sex binational couples living in the United States, and approximately half of these couples are raising children.
Because immigration law is federal, the immigration agencies apply DOMA’s definition of marriage. This means that even gay and lesbian couples who are lawfully married are not considered married for immigration purposes. As a result, gay and lesbian U.S. citizens and permanent residents cannot successfully petition for their spouses; same-sex spouses cannot accompany their American spouse who receives a family or employment-based visa; and lesbian and gay noncitizens cannot obtain a waiver or relief from removal based on their marriage. Essentially, DOMA prevents same-sex couples from receiving the same immigration benefits that different-sex couples receive.
Q: Prior to the US Supreme Court decision was there efforts underway to challenge DOMA?
A: Yes. Senator Feinstein and Representative Nadler have introduced the Respect for Marriage Act in the Senate and House, which, if enacted, would repeal DOMA. Also, numerous lawsuits challenging the constitutionality of DOMA have been filed in federal courts. In Gill v. Office of Pers. Mgmt. the district court in Massachusetts ruled that DOMA is unconstitutional, and the case is now pending in the First Circuit. There are other pending cases in the district courts in Connecticut, New York, and California. It is likely that the Supreme Court will ultimately decide one of these cases.
Q: What is the Obama Administration’s position on DOMA?
A: In February 2011, Attorney General Eric Holder announced that the Obama Administration had determined that Section 3 of DOMA was unconstitutional and would no longer defend it in federal court challenges. The Department of Justice (DOJ) has filed a brief in one of the pending lawsuits challenging DOMA, Golinski, arguing that DOMA is unconstitutional and that the primary motivation for its passage was homophobic animus.
Nonetheless, the Attorney General said that the Department of Justice would still “enforce” DOMA pending a legislative repeal of the law or a “final judicial decision.” Numerous organizations, including the American Immigration Council and Immigration Equality, as well as 12 Senators and 48 Members of the House of Representatives have written to the Department of Justice and the Department of Homeland Security, calling upon them to hold applications in abeyance, and maintain the status quo until the constitutionality of DOMA is finally determined.
Q: Have there been any immigration decisions regarding lesbian or gay couples prior to the US Supreme Court decision invalidating DOMA?
A: Following the February 2011 announcement, the Attorney General has issued one decision in an immigration case that may implicate DOMA. In Matter of Dorman, an immigrant partner of a US citizen was found removable because he overstayed his visa. The immigration judge found him ineligible for a form of relief from removal called “cancellation of removal” because his US citizen partner was not considered to be a spouse, despite the fact that they had entered into a New Jersey civil union. While the case was on appeal before the Third Circuit Court of Appeals, the Attorney General vacated the underlying removal order and sent the case back to the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA) to answer questions regarding the definition of spouse and marriage, and the impact on immigration cases. It may be over a year before the BIA issues a decision, but that decision is likely to have a significant impact on how immigration agencies handle same-sex marriage cases.
Also, in June 2011, Immigration and Customs Enforcement issued a memorandum discussing its enforcement priorities and describing when it is appropriate to exercise prosecutorial discretion (i.e., decide whether and to what degree to enforce the law in a particular case). Although the memo did not specifically mention lesbian and gay families, it did say that family ties are a favorable factor. After the memo was issued, several high profile cases involving lesbian and gay families have been administratively closed or granted long continuances.
Question: What exactly did the Supreme Court in the Windsor Case rule?
Answer: The Supreme Court unequivocally affirmed that there is no legitimate reason for the federal government to discriminate against married couples on account of their sexual orientation. The Justices struck down section 3 of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), which defines marriage as between a man and a woman, noting in their decision, “DOMA’s principal effect is to identify a subset of state-sanctioned marriages and make them unequal.”
This historic decision means that our immigration system must stop treating gay and lesbian families differently than other families. For far too long, gay and lesbian US citizens and lawful permanent residents have been barred from obtaining immigration status for their noncitizen spouses. As a result, families have been separated and spouses of US citizens and permanent residents have been deported from the United States.
President Obama issued an immediate directive to the Attorney General to “work with other members of my Cabinet to review all relevant federal statutes to ensure this decision, including its implications for Federal benefits and obligations, is implemented swiftly and smoothly.” The Secretary of Homeland Security, Janet Napolitano also issued a statement to press confirming that DHS is “working with our federal partners, including the Department of Justice, toimplement today’s decision so that all married couples will be treated equally and fairly in the administration of our immigration laws.
Question: What about in California? What about Prop 8 which makes gay marriages illegal?
Answer: The US Supreme Court has ruled that Prop 8 is unconstitutional and the Ninth Circuit has vacated the Stay on gay marriages until the US Supreme Court ruled. Therefore, as of this interview, it is completely legal for gays to marry in the US.
Question: Will USCIS and other branches of Immigration comply with the US Supreme Courts Ruling?
Answer: Minus the fact that they must comply, there has been a very positive statement by Janet Napolitano, Director of DHS. She has said:
“I applaud today’s Supreme Court decision in United States v. Windsor holding that the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) is unconstitutional. This discriminatory law denied thousands of legally married same-sex couples many important federal benefits, including immigration benefits. I am pleased the Court agreed with the Administration’s position that DOMA’s restrictions violate the Constitution. Working with our federal partners, including the Department of Justice, we will implement today’s decision so that all married couples will be treated equally and fairly in the administration of our immigration laws.”
It is most definitely a Landmark decision. It will allow gay couples to petition for residency, derivatives to be petitioned and all employment, removal petitions, asylum applications, non-immigrant visas and other areas where there is a history and law of derivatives and dependents to be able to come to the United States and not to be separated by countries and unfair immigration laws.
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Brian D. Lerner is an Immigration and Naturalization Attorney. He is a Certified Specialist in Immigration and Nationality Law as Certified by the State Bar of California, Board of Legal Specialization. Mr. Lerner is married to a Filipina and has been helping Filipinos immigrate to the United States for nearly 20 years. His firm represents clients in Deportation/Removal proceedings, does Waivers, Appeals, Naturalization, Adjustments, Criminal Relief, Citizenship, Consulate Processing, Work Permits, Investment Visas and all other areas of Immigration and Naturalization Law. You can go online to http://www.californiaimmigration.us/ and get a free consultation or call us at (562) 495-0554 for an in-person office consultation.