Alan Gomez
USA Today
July 26, 2013
The Obama administration is beginning a system-wide review of cases where U.S. citizens were denied green cards for their same-sex couples.
Shortly after the Supreme Court struck down portions of the federal Defense of Marriage Act last month, the Department of Homeland Security announced that gay and lesbian couples would for the first time be able to secure green cards for their foreign spouses as other couples can.
In new guidelines issued Friday morning, the department said it would initiate a “concerted effort” to review all applications that were filed, and denied, by same-sex couples after Feb. 23, 2011. The department said it has tried to keep track of all denials based on the Defense of Marriage Act after that date, which is when President Obama decided his administration would not defend the act in court.
The Emergency Election Sale is now live! Get 30% to 60% off our most popular products today!