Lobbying at Home in Action: Rep. Van Hollen (MD), Latest UAFA Cosponsor

By Kelly Costello and Fabiola Morales on 08/27/2012 @ 11:03 AM

We are excited to announce that Congressman Van Hollen (D-MD-8) has signed on to co-sponsor the Uniting American Families Act (UAFA)! My wife and I met with Congressman Van Hollen and told him our story, which may ring true with many other LBGT binational couples.

My Peruvian born wife, Fabiola, received her nursing degree from Georgetown University. She worked as a nurse in the Cardiology Unit of Suburban hospital on her OPT visa (1 year long). Due to the backlog in Immigrations, she cannot be sponsored as a nurse.

We wish she could become a resident through the marriage visa, however our marriage is not federally recognized because we are both women.

I am an ESOL teacher and work in a title 1 school in Silver Spring, Maryland. We both contribute so much to our community and would like the opportunity to continue doing the work that we love here in the United States. We will have no choice but to move out of the country if we do not find a solution. UAFA is that solution.

Congressman Van Hollen is on the right side of history. Thank you Congressman Van Hollen for helping us get one stride closer to marriage equality!