Erwin de Leon

President Obama's endorsement of gay marriage last week has everyone theorizing on whether it will hurt or help his re-election bid. Some argue that this move will cost the president support from Latinos, a rapidly growing population whose votes may decide the race in battleground states.

Bob Quasius,...

Marion Barry managed to insult the Asian American community earlier this month by saying that "dirty" shops in his ward ought to go. Last week, he did it again by criticizing the presence of immigrant nurses and in particular Filipino medical professionals.

"In fact, it's so...

The Organization for Refuge, Asylum & Migration (ORAM) has just released the first-ever guide to welcoming lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and intersex (LGBTI) people fleeing persecution in their home countries. As increasing numbers of these refugees flee to the United States, ORAM produced the guide for the American...

The U.S. Citizen and Immigration Services (USCIS) issued a memorandum last week that updates the Adjudicator's Field Manual, a guide binding all agency staff overseeing immigration procedures. It spells out policy around immigration documents issued and marriage benefits given to transgender individuals. The interim...

Georgia lawmakers are at it again, less than a year after passing their own version of Arizona's hardcore immigration law. They tried to pass a statute that would have made life all the more difficult for many immigrants. SB 458 would have rendered foreign passports unacceptable...

On February 22, New York Magistrate Judge Frank Maas recommended that Indian national Shanti Gurung be awarded nearly $1.5 million by her former employer, Neena Malhotra, a diplomat in the Indian Mission to the United Nations, for enslaving Gurung.

Maas wrote that Malhotra and her husband compelled Gurung...

Sen. Scott Brown (R-MA) recently announced that an immigration bill he filed last year was "about to pop."

The measure, dubbed the Irish immigration bill, would qualify Ireland for the E-3 visa program which currently applies exclusively to Australian nationals. The bill would increase the number...

After civil rights complaints were filed by immigrant and LGBT advocates, Congressmen Jared Polis (D-Colo.) and Mike Quigley (D-Ill.) last month called for a government investigation into alleged abuse of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) immigrants in detention centers.

"While we applaud the administration for the steps...

Michael Dompas, an Indonesian native who has just been sent overseas by his employer, plans to return this fall to help with President Obama's reelection campaign.

"I'm allowed to do this," he explained. "I was so frustrated by the Supreme Court's decision over the results of the 2000...

The holidays are meant to be a time of merriment and family, but so can it be disappointing, even depressing, for some.

This time of the year can be especially hard for immigrants who are separated from dear ones overseas. Many seek the company of compatriots to recreate festivities...

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton recently articulated the Obama administration's unequivocal support for the human rights of LGBT individuals while admitting that much more needs to be done in the United States.

"I speak about this subject knowing that my own country's record on human rights for gay people...

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security recently sent guidance to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) attorneys that clearly identified enforcement priorities among pending deportation cases. In short, it said who should be deported and who gets to stay.

The directive clarified the "Morton Memo" released last June, which listed some...