Immigration Reform Bill News: Patrick Leahy Fights For Gay Immigrants, Pushes For Same-Sex Marriage Amendment

In the midst of scrambling through more than 100 proposed amendments to the "Gang of 8" immigration bill, a stipulation for same-sex couples is attracting the most controversy.

Religious and political leaders said Wednesday the bill runs the risk of being a "poison pill" to the legislation because it would kill support for the comprehensive, bipartisan bill, The Hill reported.

Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., is behind the amendment, which would allow those in long-term, committed relationships to sponsor same-sex partners for a green card, giving them permanent residency and allowing them to live and work legally in the U.S.

The proposition has caused turmoil amongst the authors of the bill themselves as Republicans bluntly stated to Democrats that the amendment will ruin its chances of passage.

"If that's in the bill, that will kill the bill," said Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.), a member of the gang. "This bill has got to get broad support to have a chance in the House, and with that provision it will not have broad support. A lot of the coalitions that are behind it will go away, and so I think that's pretty much understood."

While Democrats are expected to vote in favor of the proposal as they take up 10 seats on the panel reviewing the bill against the Republican's 8, many have refused to express this openly.

Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., said Tuesday that he believes in the amendment, but did not comment about how he will vote.

"I support it and hope we can find a way to resolve it. It's a fair thing to do," Durbin said.

Leahy may choose to delay his fight for the same-sex partner amendment as the bill, penned in equal parts by Republicans and Democrats, until it is introduced to the full Senate, Reuters reported.

Political analysts said that this particular amendment would prove to be a test of the cohesiveness of the "Gang of 8" as it shows early signs of divisiveness in regard to the issue.

"It will be interesting how Durbin and (Sen. Charles) Schumer vote because they have huge [lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender] constituencies and citizens in their states, and I can't imagine them not supporting the Leahy amendment," said David Mixner, a Democratic fundraiser and political strategist. "Since when do we separate a whole group of American citizens and say, 'These rights apply to everyone, but not LGBT citizens.'"

This controversy started about 1 year after President Barack Obama announced his support of same-sex marriage in a statement to the nation. Obama also included stipulations protecting same-sex couples in his own immigration bill that ultimately sank.

The president said to the Senate that the bill's current provisions are satisfactory even without the same-sex partnership amendment.

Leahy didn't just stop at same-sex sponsorships for residency, but also filed other amendments that would exempt these couples placed upon them by the Defense of Marriage Act if the state they reside in or their country of origin recognizes their marriage.

There are currently 11 million undocumented illegal immigrants in this country that the bill would provide a 13-year path to citizenship for. The bill intends to grant immigrants green cards based on a merit system that awards points to individuals based on job status, skills and level of education.

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