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Congressman Mike Quigley

Representing the 5th District of Illinois

Quigley Joins Roundtable Discussion on LGBT Inclusion in Upcoming Executive Action on Immigration

Nov 19, 2014
Press Release

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Representative Mike Quigley (IL-05) joined a Congressional Equality Caucus roundtable discussion with undocumented lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) advocates to emphasize the importance of including the LGBT immigrant community in the President’s upcoming executive actions on immigration. 

“The president must use his legal authority to act where House leadership has not and improve our broken immigration system,” said Rep. Quigley. “I urge the president to address the unique protections that LGBT immigrants need from the threat of detention and deportation in any executive action taken to shield undocumented immigrants from unnecessary deportation. Every day we fail to act is another day that families are needlessly torn apart, entire communities are disrupted and LGBT individuals and their families’ futures remain uncertain due to unjust policies.”

Rep. Quigley discusses inclusion of undocumented LGBT immigrants in President Obama’s upcoming executive action with LBGT leaders and advocates.

Rep. Quigley discusses inclusion of undocumented LGBT immigrants in President Obama’s upcoming executive action with LBGT leaders and advocates.

Today’s roundtable discussion focused on what the Administration can do to ensure that executive action on immigration is inclusive and why it’s important that their community be protected in all steps of a potential relief package. The LGBT advocates also shared their personal experiences in dealing with our current, broken immigration system. Rep. Quigley was joined by LGBT leaders from the Queer Undocumented Immigrant Project, United We Dream, GetEQUAL and Queer Detainee Empowerment Project, as well as other members of Congress from the Equality Caucus.

There are 267,000 LGBT immigrants living in the United States, many of which came to this country to escape threats and extreme violence. Many of these individuals are at risk of being left out of the president’s executive action if the criteria for administrative relief is based solely on whether a person is the parent of a U.S. citizen, Legal Permanent Resident or Dreamer. Because many LGBT immigrants come from countries where same-sex marriage is prohibited, they have greater difficulty proving the familial ties often required for administrative relief. LGBT immigrants are also more susceptible to mistreatments such as violence, denial of adequate medical care, or solitary confinement in immigrant detention facilities. 

Over the last five years, Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has removed a record two million people at a time when border crossings are at a 40-year low. DHS is currently detaining 430,000 individuals each year. These record-high detention levels are costing American taxpayers $2 billion annually.

Rep. Quigley has been a staunch advocate of comprehensive immigration reform throughout his time in Congress and has pushed Congress to pass a pathway to citizenship for millions of undocumented immigrants. He used his position on the House Appropriations Committee to highlight the need for Congress to protect undocumented immigrants from abuse in detention centers, reject unconstitutional Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detainers and end a mandated detention bed quota that wastes millions of dollars annually. Quigley also led a letter over the summer urging the president to take executive action to enact more human immigration deportation and detention policies

Rep. Quigley has continuously fought for equal treatment of LGBT individuals under immigration law. In May 2013, he spoke out against the lack of protections for the LGBT community within the comprehensive immigration reform proposals under consideration by Congress at that time. In response to allegations of abuse of LGBT detainees in DHS detention centers, he also led the push for a GAO investigation that identified problems at detention facilities around the country and questioned the adequacy of investigations into allegations of sexual assault and abuse. Following the report’s release, Rep. Quigley organized a bipartisan group of Members of Congress that called on the Obama Administration to put strong regulations in place to better prevent abuse and assault of detainees.

As a member of the Congressional Equality Caucus, Rep. Quigley has been a tireless advocate for the LGBT community. He called on Illinois state legislators to pass marriage equality and celebrated when that day came. He is a co-sponsor of the Respect for Marriage Act, which would ensure that all couples are treated fairly under federal law and helped lead efforts to repeal “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.” In 2011, Rep. Quigley hosted a DOMA field forum to investigate the negative impacts of the Defense of Marriage Act on individuals and families in Chicago and brought the testimony of his constituents to Congress.

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