LA Couple Sues After One Son Is Given Citizenship, Another Denied

LOS ANGELES, CA -- A Los Angeles couple is suing the U.S. State Department after it rejected an application to grant their 16-month-old boy citizenship. The unusual twist to the story? The boy's twin brother was named a U.S. citizen.

Andrew and Elad Dvash-Banks are the parents of Aiden and Ethan, who were born with the help of a surrogate in Canada.

"Aiden shares DNA with Andrew, a Santa Monica native, while Ethan is biologically related to Elad, who was born and raised in Israel," the Los Angeles Times reported.

By federal law, that would mean Aiden is considered a U.S. citizen while Ethan is not, the newspaper reported. But the law was written without regard to same-sex couples such as Andrew and Elad Dvash-Banks, the Los Angeles Times reported.

"The family's case exposes the unique immigration challenges facing binational LGBTQ couples, which number about 36,000 in the U.S., said Jackie Yodashkin, public affairs director for Immigration Equality," the newspaper wrote.

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