Napolitano: DHS Will Begin Implementing DOMA Changes Immediately

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Now that the Supreme Court has struck down the Defense of Marriage Act, Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano said Monday that her department will begin to review immigration petitions filed on behalf of same-sex couples in the “same manner” as those filed on behalf of an opposite-sex spouse.

“President Obama directed federal departments to ensure the decision and its implication for federal benefits for same-sex legally married couples are implemented swiftly and smoothly,” Napolitano said in a statement.  “To that end, effective immediately, I have directed U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to review immigration visa petitions filed on behalf of a same-sex spouse in the same manner as those filed on behalf of an opposite-sex spouse.”

Over the weekend, a Florida couple became the first same-sex couple to receive approval for a permanent resident visa, the New York Times reported Sunday.

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