March, 17 2010, 05:01pm EDT
For Immediate Release
Contact:
Inga Sarda-Sorensen, Director of Communications
(Office) 646.358.1463
isorensen@theTaskForce.org
Task Force: Congress Must Pass Comprehensive Immigration Reform This Year
National LGBT rights group to join thousands at this Sunday's national march on Washington, D.C., to demand Congress pass comprehensive immigration reform
WASHINGTON
The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, a longtime advocate for
comprehensive and humane immigration reform, is joining thousands of
people from across the country for the March 21 mass mobilization on
the nation's capital to demand Congress pass comprehensive immigration
reform this year. The Task Force is an official endorser of the March for America
and will be marching behind its banner at the event. (For those wishing
to march with the Task Force, meet at 12:30 p.m. at 12th Street, NW and
Pennsylvania Avenue, NW. Just look for the Task Force banner).
During her annual State of the LGBT Movement
speech just last month, National Gay and Lesbian Task Force Executive
Director Rea Carey vowed the Task Force would continue to "stand with
our allies in the immigration reform movement, come what may."
"If we are truly a community and a movement committed to freedom,
justice and equality then reforming our nation's cruel and broken
immigration system must be on our agenda for action. Today, there are
12 million undocumented immigrants, including at least half a million
lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people who are forced to live in
the shadows of our society," she said, later adding, "And, of course,
there are at least 36,000 binational couples who cannot live together
here in this country because federal law bans recognition of their
relationships. So, yes, immigration reform is an LGBT issue."
The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force Action Fund is advocating
for the inclusion of the Uniting American Families Act (UAFA) in any
comprehensive immigration reform. The measure would end discrimination
against LGBT binational families and provide Americans in same-sex
relationships the same opportunity to sponsor their partners for
residency in the United States. It's estimated that more than 36,000
such couples are facing separation, or currently living separately or
abroad, due to existing discriminatory policies that UAFA's passage
would end.
Among the other changes the Task Force is calling for:
- a workable path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants
- relationship recognition for binational same-sex couples
- an end to backlogs with more rapid visa processing
- improved enforcement of human trafficking laws
- political asylum for those fleeing persecution in their home countries
- labor protections for migrant and undocumented workers
- expanded visas for professional workers
Immigration reform took a prominent place at the Task Force's
National Conference on LGBT Equality: Creating Change last month in
Dallas, Texas. Thomas Saenz, president and general counsel of the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF), gave the opening plenary speech in which he called for comprehensive and LGBT-inclusive immigration reform.
Saenz spoke powerfully about the need for collaboration and
partnership with the LGBT community, and of the need to "reintroduce
equal protection values into our definition of family - of any kind -
under our immigration law. This means enacting the Uniting American
Families Act as part of comprehensive immigration reform." Watch Saenz's full speech.
The National LGBTQ Task Force advances full freedom, justice and equality for LGBTQ people. We are building a future where everyone can be free to be their entire selves in every aspect of their lives. Today, despite all the progress we've made to end discrimination, millions of LGBTQ people face barriers in every aspect of their lives: in housing, employment, healthcare, retirement, and basic human rights. These barriers must go. That's why the Task Force is training and mobilizing millions of activists across our nation to deliver a world where you can be you. Join us!
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"State-sanctioned murder is not justice, and President Biden has an opportunity and an obligation to save lives," Democratic Rep. Ayanna Pressley said earlier this week.
Dec 12, 2024
U.S. President Joe Biden on Thursday announced that he is commuting the sentences of nearly 1,500 Americans and pardoning 39 people convicted of nonviolent crimes, a move the White House described as "the largest single-day grant of clemency in modern history."
But the president's sweeping use of his clemency power as his term nears its conclusion did not appear to extend to any of the 40 men currently on death row—some of whom have been there for decades.
According to a White House fact sheet, those who received commutations "have been serving their sentences at home for at least one year under the Covid-era CARES Act," a law that extended the amount of time in which people could be placed in home confinement to reduce the spread of the virus in prisons.
The White House did not name those who received pardons or commutations but said the list includes a "decorated military veteran," a "nurse who has led emergency response for several natural disasters," and "an addiction counselor who volunteers his time to help young people find their purpose."
The Biden Justice Department paused federal executions in 2021, but President-elect Donald Trump pledged on the campaign trail to expand the use of the death penalty and is expected to allow the executions of the 40 men on death row to take place if they're still there when he takes office next month.
In a statement on Thursday, Biden said that he has "the great privilege of extending mercy to people who have demonstrated remorse and rehabilitation, restoring opportunity for Americans to participate in daily life and contribute to their communities, and taking steps to remove sentencing disparities for non-violent offenders, especially those convicted of drug offenses."
"That is why, today, I am pardoning 39 people who have shown successful rehabilitation and have shown commitment to making their communities stronger and safer," the president said. "I am also commuting the sentences of nearly 1,500 people who are serving long prison sentences—many of whom would receive lower sentences if charged under today’s laws, policies, and practices. These commutation recipients, who were placed on home confinement during the Covid pandemic, have successfully reintegrated into their families and communities and have shown that they deserve a second chance."
Biden, who campaigned on ending the death penalty at the federal level, vowed to "take more steps in the weeks ahead" as his administration reviews clemency petitions, leaving open the possibility of commutations for death row prisoners.
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Despite the Pentagon's repeated failures to pass audits and various alarming policies, 81 Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives voted with 200 Republicans on Wednesday to advance a $883.7 billion annual defense package.
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The push to pass the NDAA comes as this congressional session winds down and after the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) announced last month that it had failed yet another audit—which several lawmakers highlighted after the Wednesday vote.
Reps. Mark Pocan (D-Wis.) and Barbara Lee (D-Calif.), co-chairs and co-founders of the Defense Spending Reduction Caucus, said in a joint statement, "Time and time again, Congress seems to be able to find the funds necessary to line the pockets of defense contractors while neglecting the problems everyday Americans face here at home."
"Instead of fighting the rising cost of healthcare, gas, or groceries, this Congress prioritized rewarding the wealthy and well-connected military-industrial complex with even more unaccountable funds," they continued. "After a seventh failed audit in a row, it's disappointing that our amendment to hold the Pentagon accountable by penalizing the DOD's budget by 0.5% for each failed audit was stripped out of the final bill. It's time Congress demanded accountability from the Pentagon."
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Several of the 124 House Democrats who voted against the NDAA cited those "culture war" policies, in addition to concerns about how the Pentagon spends massive amounts of money that could go toward improving lives across the country.
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