In June, the Senate passed the Border Security, Economic Opportunity, and Immigration Modernization Act of 2013 by a bipartisan majority of 68-32. It is now time for the House of Representatives to pass comprehensive immigration reform. According to analysis by the Williams Institute, there are nearly 1 million LGBT adult immigrants living in the United States today, 30 percent of whom are undocumented. Passage of common-sense immigration reform with a path to citizenship is particularly important for undocumented LGBT immigrants, whose double minority status has compounding harmful effects on their social, economic, and psychological well-being.
Click here to view an infographic that shows some of the ways the Senate’s immigration bill and H.R. 15 in the House would help LGBT immigrants.
Sharita Gruberg is a Policy Analyst for the LGBT Immigration Project at the Center for American Progress.