Community Corner

Feds Drop Deportation Order Against Gay Princetonian

Henry Velandia's deporation is not an 'enforcement priority,' Velandia's attorney was told.

Federal officials have canceled the deportation of a Venezuelan man living in Princeton who is married to an American man, The New York Times reports.

The case of Henry Velandia was seen by many as a test of the federal government’s position on the Defense of Marriage Act, a federal law that bars the federal government from recognizing same-sex marriages, according to the Times.

Velandia, a salsa instructor living in the U.S. and married to Princeton University doctoral candidate John Vandiver in Connecticut in 2010.

Find out what's happening in Princetonwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The two men are legally married, but because the federal government does not recognize the marriage, Vandiver could not sponsor Velandia for residency.

Velandia received a temporary reprieve last month when a federal immigration judge in Newark ruled that because the federal government may soon change its definition of marriage, Velandia's case would be continued until December.

Find out what's happening in Princetonwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

In February, U.S. President Barack Obama said the U.S. would no longer defend the Defense of Marriage Act, yet the deportation of non-American spouses in bi-national couples continues.

According to The New York Times, Velandia’s attorney received a phone call on June 9 from the Newark office of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, an arm of the Homeland Security Department, agreeing to his request to close the deportation proceedings because pursuing Velandia’s deportation “is not an enforcement priority at this time.”

The judge granted the motion to close the case on June 13, and the attorney, Levi Soloway, received an official copy of the order on Wednesday, the Times reported.

In May, Vandiver and Velandia told Princeton Patch that they never anticipated becoming the face of bi-national deportations.

"We never thought of ourselves as activists but when you find yourself being ripped apart from your husband, you have to stand up for what you believe is right," Velandia said.

To read the full story in The New York Times story, click here.


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