Same-Sex Couples Hope for Immigration Equality

"The same day a Houston Chronicle reporter inquired about Rivas-Guzman's case, his attorney received word from immigration officials in Houston that they would exercise prosecutorial discretion and close his deportation case.  "We're still trying to soak it in," Smith said. "We still can't believe it."  The couple's immigration attorney, Raed Gonzalez, said having consideration for same-sex couples written into the guidelines was necessary to prevent disparities in their treatment by different field offices across the country, calling it a "milestone in immigration justice."  While the government has pledged to give gays and lesbians the same consideration as heterosexual couples when it comes to deciding which deportation cases to suspend, it does not give their U.S. citizen partners an avenue to apply for legal status on their behalf." - Susan Carroll, Houston Chronicle, Oct. 8, 2012.

- Isaias Rivas-Guzman and Fred Smith, shown at their Houston home, learned last week that officials had closed Rivas-Guzman's deportation order. The couple married last month in Massachusetts.