Mike Tidmus

Here is some great news for those of us who’ve been following the saga of Shirley Tan. Shirley’s family was about to be torn apart by our country’s draconian immigration laws. Despite 23 years together with her partner, Jay Mercado, and with twin 12-year-old boys, Shirley Tan faced deportation because she and Jay are lesbians.

Writing at her blog, Shirley Tan’s counsel Melanie Nathan provides this update:

Senator Dianne Feinstein, et al save Shirley Tan

By Melanie Nathan

Today Senator Feinstein introduced a very rare private bill on behalf of Shirley Tan; Shirley will not have to leave the USA for now and hopefully never. The essence of its introduction is that Tan does not have to leave the USA on May 10th, in terms of the voluntary order issued by DHS. This enables her to stay in the USA, legally, until the private bill passes ( a rare occurrence)- and if it does not come up for a vote then she can stay for the duration of this Congress’s session, which has approximately a year and nine months left. However Shirleys ultimate saviour will be UAFA and nothing else!

This is unbelievably miraculous and indeed an extraordinary measure on behalf of the family. This also gives all our wonderful activists, LGBT organizations, and community suporters and opportunity to hit the streets, the phones, the faxes, the e-mails, the blogs etc. and to fight like crazy for the Uniting American families ACT (UAFA) – in truth the only real long term option for Shirley and the 40,000 other couples/families in this dire situation.

Hence the fight has truly just begun. We now have a face and a family to the desperate situation of all Binational families.

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Senator Boxer is co-sponsoring UAFA and we now hope that Sen. Feinstein will do the same as many many others are in as bad a predicament as Shirley Tan has been.

When I spoke to Jay today she was crying with joy and said the whole family including the boys were absolutely overwhelmed with emotion. The news was conveyed to her directly by Senator Feinstein’s office. It has been a long and arduous process and so a very special thank you goes to Attorney Phyllis Beech, San Francisco and Fresno. I will write more later – but now I have to call and tell everyone the good news.

Great work Melanie Nathan! And thanks also to you readers who were moved enough by this near tragedy to take the time to contact your representatives and insist they pass the Uniting American Families Act. Passage of the act is vital because Shirley and Jay are only one couple of an estimated 37,000 same-sex couples in which one of the partners is a non-citizen.

Earlier posts on Shirley Tan and her family:

• Out of options, save one
• Shirley Tan gets deportation reprieve
• An immigration ‘Hail Mary’
• Lesbian mother faces deportation

Tip: Chris Waddling at Marriage Equality USA