Gay, Latino Groups Forge Immigration Alliance As a gay Mexican immigrant living in the United States illegally, Alex Aldana acutely understands his double-minority status. Not only does he fear deportation, he can't seek citizenship by marrying a partner because the federal government doesn't recognize same-sex marriages. He and other gay activists are hoping the new immigration debate at the top of Washington's agenda will change that, and they are betting on a newly forged but still fragile alliance between a pair of voting blocs considered critical to President Obama's re-election: Latinos and the gay community. The gay rights movement is working to make sure bi-national same-sex couples are included in immigration reform legislation making its way toward Congress, a tricky task for a constituency at the nexus of two hot-button social issues. So far, it has done so with strong backing from its liberal Latino partners. Groups such as the League of United Latin American Citizens, the National Council de la Raza and the Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund - all of which endorsed same-sex unions last year - reiterated this week that married gays should be part of a reform plan that provides a pathway to citizenship for the 11 million illegal immigrants in the U.S. FILE - In this Jan. 4, 2012 file photo, Bradford Wells, left, and Anthony John Makk pose together at their home in San Francisco. Wells and Makk, are a married gay couple that have lived most of their relationship in San Francisco. Makk is a citizen of Australia married to Wells, a U.S. citizen who suffers from AIDS-related illness. Makk is his primary caregiver. Latino and gay rights groups that have spent the last several years working to forge a mutually beneficial alliance face a crucial test in the months ahead as immigration reform returns to the top of Washington's agenda. Gay rights advocates are fighting to ensure that the comprehensive immigration legislation high-ranking U.S. senators and President Barack Obama have pledged to pursue includes legal residency options for foreigners in same-sex marriages. (AP Photo/San Francisco Chronicle, Michael Macor, File) Close Both Obama and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus have included bi-national gay couples in their immigration reform blueprints. The framework that eight leading Democratic and Republican senators unveiled this week did not. Republicans John McCain of Arizona and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, two of the senators working to hammer out a bipartisan immigration bill, already have rejected the idea that gay immigrants have a place in the coming debate. "I'm telling you now, if you load this up with social issues and things that are controversial, then it will endanger" the endeavor, said McCain, whose wife and daughter support marriage rights for same-sex couples. He does not. Aldana, 26, is torn. He encourages Hispanic groups to include gay rights in their struggle, but reminds gay activists that immigration rights go far beyond just fighting for legal residency for foreigners in same-sex marriages. The reality is that immigration is not just about married couples. That's a middle-class concern. It's a privilege I support, but it's not something that will benefit all our immigrant communities," Aldana said. Rep. Mike Honda, a California Democrat and vice-chair of the Congressional LGBT Equality Caucus, plans to reintroduce stand-alone legislation next week in hopes of getting its provisions incorporated in any overarching immigration bill that reaches the Republican-controlled House. "In the bow of the ship is immigration reform, and the big iceberg out there is reuniting families with bi-national couples," Honda said. They cannot be excluded from the definition of family. Otherwise, we can't call it comprehensive. Another factor is the U.S. Supreme Court's consideration in late March of the federal law that currently bars U.S. citizens in same-sex marriages from sponsoring their foreign-born partners for permanent legal residency. If justices uphold the Defense of Marriage Act, gay-friendly lawmakers would have less leverage to press the issue.