"If you want to make a mother angry, give one of her children a right that you deny the other. And if you want to break a mother’s heart, force one of her children to move far away from her in order to keep his household together. That’s what the U.S. government has done to our family, and thousands of others in similar circumstances.
My daughter and her partner were married last September in his homeland. Because they are an opposite-sex couple, his immigration status was assured from the moment they became engaged, and he is now on the path to American citizenship.
My son and his partner are a same-sex couple, which means that even though they have been together for 8 years, they have no relationship in the eyes of United States law. Because of that, our government has given my son a heartbreaking choice: to be with his partner, he has to give up his home, his job, his car, his mother, his sister, his grandmother, and move to another continent to start over with nothing.
We have one glimmer of hope: the Uniting American Families Act (UAFA), which would allow my son to sponsor his partner in the same way my daughter, has sponsored hers. I know it’s not likely to be passed in time to allow my son to stay here and bring his partner back home, but I will continue to urge Congress to pass this important legislation and allow me to bring my family back together."
--Janet Dagley, New Jersey
