US back to denying same sex couple visas

By ALICIA A. CALDWELL Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) - U.S. immigration authorities are once again denying applications for immigration benefits for same sex couples following a brief legal review.

Chris Bentley, a spokesman for U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, said Wednesday that lawyers for the Department of Homeland Security have concluded that a federal law prohibiting the government from recognizing same sex marriages should be followed despite the Obama administration's decision to no longer defend the constitutionality of the law in court.

The law, the Defense of Marriage Act, defines marriage as being between a man and woman.

USCIS announced earlier this week that it would temporarily stop automatically denying applications for immigration benefits for the gay spouses of U.S. citizens, pending the legal review.