A few years ago, I was forced to leave my home in France to get away from a traumatizing family situation. I came to the U.S. in search of a place where I could pursue my dreams and live without fear. It was here that I unexpectedly fell in love with another immigrant, Adriana. In her unwavering resolve to get a quality education, Adriana attempted to cross the Mexican border several times before she was finally successful. Our story is not uncommon. We came to the U.S. in search of hope, and we found more than hope �" we found a home.
As LGBT undocumented immigrants, we know what it's like to live in two closets �" one due to our sexual orientation and the other because of our legal status. Although we came to this country with the hope of being accepted for who we are, our undocumented status means that we are not recognized as equal members of society.
Because we know what it's like to be persecuted for our sexual orientation, we will never take that freedom for granted. That is why we are standing with the 11 million other undocumented men, women and children �" including an estimated 267,000 LGBT immigrants �" who dreamed big and risked everything to come to this country. While we may seem unique, Adriana and I have something fundamental in common with American and immigrant Americans alike: the importance we place in families.
As a nation, we pride ourselves on keeping families united, and our immigration policies should reflect that commitment to keep all families together �" regardless of their orientation or where they came from. Families are our most important safety net, and every day 1,100 immigrant families are being torn apart due to backwards immigration policies. Our policies should welcome the tenacious, the hard-working and the open-minded �" all qualities that make America and its long history of immigrants great. Together, along with our allies in the immigrant rights community, we are demanding that Congress pass immigration reform with a path to citizenship.
A few months ago, my brother tragically passed away. I knew that if I went back to France for the funeral, there was a good chance that I would not be allowed back into the U.S. I had to decide between staying with the family I've created for myself here or being with my family in France in our time of need. It was a heartbreaking, impossible choice, but in the end I chose Adriana, my life in America, and our future together. Immigrants like me are forced to make these awful choices every day, while in Washington Congress sits idly by refusing even to let immigration reform come to a vote.
This past summer the Senate passed �" by a wide 68-32 margin �" a bipartisan immigration reform bill. In October, House Democrats introduced a similar proposal. Now it's coming to the end of the year, and while a House majority exists in support of immigration reform, GOP leadership refuses to allow a vote. A group of 118 Representatives �" 27 percent of the House �" is preventing the entire House from exercising their right to vote. House Republicans stand between 11 million immigrants and the American Dream.
We refuse to allow a minority bloc to hold us from a chance at citizenship. Americans want this. Poll after poll shows that regardless of party affiliation, demographics, or geography, Americans want to fix the country's broken immigration system. Whether you are a citizen, an immigrant, an LGBT person, or all of the above, now is the time to let Congress know how you feel.
When Adriana was a child, her mother told her, "A parent does whatever it takes to protect her family, it doesn't matter what it is." Adriana and I are willing to do whatever it takes to make sure that families in the U.S. no longer have to live in fear of being torn apart and don't have to spend this holiday season missing those they love.
This holiday season, let's all come out of the closet. Let us be the family �" the American family �" which we've become. Let's remember that this melting pot is all of our homes and we're committed to creating a better future. Let's tell Congress it's time to come together and pass immigration reform that creates a path to citizenship.
Christelle Vieulles is the policy intern at Our Family Coalition.