Two seemingly obscure meetings held this week between USCIS officials and immigration lawyers suggest help may be on the way.

Newsweek/The Daily Beast has learned that the heads of two USCIS districts--Washington, D.C. and Baltimore--informed attorneys from the advocacy group American Immigration Lawyers Association that cases in their districts involving married gay and lesbian couples would be put on hold. The news could have far-reaching effects. People like Velandia might be safe from deportation while their cases are on hold.

Immigrant advocates say that individual districts are unlikely to be making such decisions on their own, which suggests the shift in practice is a national one. "They can't do that in two jurisdictions and not do it in other jurisdictions," says Christopher Nugent, who chairs the immigrant-rights committee for the American Bar Association and has testified before the Senate on immigrant benefits and DOMA. "This affects thousands of people. It has a tremendous impact on so many in the gay and lesbian community."