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WASHINGTON, D.C., March 30, 2011 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Speculation that the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) was easing up on how it handled green card applications for the foreign “spouses” of gay couples who have been “married” in other countries ended today.

On Monday the press secretary for USCIS, Christopher S. Bentley, had said that until the status of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) is settled, green card applications of immigrants who are in “marriages” with same-sex partners who are American citizens would be put on hold.

“USCIS has issued guidance to the field asking that related cases be held in abeyance while awaiting final guidance related to distinct legal issues,” said Bentley.

That statement was welcomed as a victory – however minor – by homosexual activists, since USCIS policy had always been to automatically reject such applications.

While Bentley had said that nothing in his statement amounted to an official policy change at USCIS, Immigration Equality, a homosexualist immigration rights advocacy group, hailed its release. “Today’s statement is the first domino to fall for LGBT Americans with foreign national spouses,” said Rachel B. Tiven, the group’s executive director.

However, on Wednesday, Bentley told the gay news agency “The Advocate” that USCIS has since received instruction from the Office of the General Counsel at Department of Homeland Security to continue automatically rejecting such applications as always.

“The cases were held while we were waiting for legal guidance,” he said. “There’s no need to hold the cases any longer.”

“It’s business as usual.”

In late February President Obama announced his decision no longer to defend the Defense of Marriage Act, which prohibits any federal agency from recognizing marriage licenses granted to same-sex couples, in court. However, the Republicans, who are firmly in charge of the House, have pledged to defend it in lieu of the Obama administration.

Earlier this month U.S. House Speaker John Boehner announced that a five-member panel of congressional leaders, the “Bipartisan Leadership Advisory Group,” had chosen to invoke their authority under House rules to have DOMA defended in court on behalf of the U.S. House of Representatives.

“Today, after consultation with the Bipartisan Leadership Advisory Group, the House General Counsel has been directed to initiate a legal defense of this law,” the Speaker stated on March 10. “This action by the House will ensure that this law’s constitutionality is decided by the courts, rather than by the President unilaterally.”