Henry Velandia, a Venezuelan immigrant, legally married Joshua Vandiver, a U.S. citizen, in Connecticut on Aug. 29. Now, Velandia, whose application for a green card has been denied, faces deportation simply because he is married to a man and not a woman.
Velandia entered the country legally in 2002 and thought that his immigration status was in good standing. However, AOL News reported that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has confirmed that Velandia currently faces deportation. He is scheduled to appear at a deportation hearing on Nov. 17.
Ordinarily, foreigners who are married to American citizens may be sponsored for legal residency by their spouses and can obtain green cards rather easily. But thanks to the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), which defines marriage as between one man and one woman with regard to all federal laws, Vandiver cannot sponsor Velandia for citizenship.
“It’s frustrating to find my passion and the love of my life, yet still run the risk of deportation,” Velandia told The Daily Princetonian.
“We would be willing to leave this country together and go someplace like the U.K. or Europe or Canada where we could be together, but I don’t want to be a refugee in my own country,” Vandiver told The Daily Princetonian. “I never imagined that I would face this kind of discrimination from my own country and potentially have to flee it to be with the one I love.”
The couple is currently lobbying to have DOMA overturned. Additionally, they have established a Facebook page – Save Our Marriage – Stop the Deportation of Henry Velandia.
Velandia and Vandiver told AOL News that they aren’t sure what they will do if Velandia is deported.
