Hispanic Evangelical Leader: Gay Rights for Undocumented Is a “Deal Breaker” for Immigration Reform

May 8, 2013
5:40 PM

The Rev. Sam Rodríguez, who has led the charge for immigration reform among Latino evangelicals, went on air this week to clarify that recent gay rights amendments being considered for the bipartisan current immigration reform bill in the Senate could seriously jeopardize the current alliance in favor of the reform bill, if gay rights were to be included.

samuel-rodriguez-ALABAMA-immigration-law

Here is a clip of what Rodríguez said:

At the end of the clip, Rodríguez does not believe that these additions will even pass muster. The amendments were added by Vermont senator Patrick Leahy (D), as CNN reports:

Vermont Sen. Patrick’s Leahy’s amendments would recognize same-sex marriages in which one spouse is an American, and also would allow U.S. citizens to sponsor foreign-born same-sex partners for green cards as long as there’s proof of a committed relationship.

They were among dozens of amendments filed with the Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday as the panel prepares to take up the legislation later this week.

“For immigration reform to be truly comprehensive, it must include protections for all families,” Leahy said. “We must end the discrimination that gay and lesbian families face in our immigration law.”