WASHINGTON — Rep. Joaquin Castro called on Republicans Tuesday to support the amendment to include rights for same-sex marriage couples in the Senate immigration bill.
"There needs to be movement on that issue, and there needs to be improvement on that issue," said Castro, "whether or not Republicans have the guts to vote that way."
But Castro acknowledged that equal treatment for same-sex couples under immigration law, proposed last week in an amendment by Democratic Sen. Patrick Leahy, could kill the comprehensive reform bill.
"I mean, honestly, there is that possibility. I wouldn't say that that possibility doesn't exist," he said, speaking at a panel hosted by BuzzFeed in Washington, D.C. "It is, particularly for Republicans, a sticky issue."
"But at the end of the day," Castro said, "you have to stand up for what you believe."