Immigration Equality - --deprecated--110th Congress FAQs

The 110^th Congress and the Uniting American Families Act: What Can We Expect in the New Congress?

Now that the Democrats have control of Congress, how soon can we pass the Uniting American Families Act?

We have a great opportunity with the newly elected Democratic Congress. This does not, however, make passage of the Uniting American Families Act (UAFA) a “slam dunk” in the 110th Congress. The bill has cosponsors on both sides of the aisle and although Democrats have been far more supportive of the UAFA than Republicans, many Democrats have not yet agreed to cosponsor.

Immigration and gay rights will likely remain divisive and difficult issues in the 110th Congress. Immigration Equality is carefully plotting how to maximize support among members of Congress and our partners in the immigration coalition. At the same time, we are constantly investigating alternative solutions to win equality for binational same-sex couples.

Will immigration reform move forward in the lame duck session of the 109th Congress?

It is unlikely that immigration will be put forward as an issue. It appears that the divisions between the House -- which passed an anti-immigrant bill last December -- and the Senate’s less punitive bill are too great to overcome in the time remaining in the 109th (current) Congress.

If the Uniting American Families Act does not pass in the 109th Congress, what happens?

We will reintroduce the Uniting American Families Act in the 110th Congress, and re-sign all of the cosponsors to the bill. This is a long and difficult process, but allows us to have continued conversations around the bill and to build a winning strategy.

Family, Unvalued, the joint Immigration Equality/Human Rights Watch report on binational couples, is a superb tool to help us engage members of Congress about the plight of same-sex binational couples. Read the whole report online by clicking on the “Family, Unvalued” link.

Can the UAFA be attached to a piece of legislation that will pass?

We are always on the lookout for opportunities to insert the language of the UAFA into another bill, while we continue to build a strategy for the stand-alone success of the UAFA. This includes obtaining both strategic support for the UAFA among Congressional leaders who can influence key decisions, as well a majority of support within Congress so that we will ultimately have the votes to pass the bill as a stand alone.

What can I do to help?

Thank you for asking! As always, you can write to your Senators and your Representative to educate them about the Uniting American Families Act and encourage them to support it. Here’s how.

You can also help us by making a gift to Immigration Equality. We have built a tremendous base of support for the UAFA over the past several years. The Democratic leadership, key members with ranking positions on committees, and key members of the immigration coalition all support the UAFA. This would not be possible without our work and without your support. Help us continue to build support for the UAFA: DONATE NOW!

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