Judge Delays Immigration Decision for Gay Princetonian

Henry Velandia, the 27-year-old Princeton man who faces a possible deportation order back to his native Venezuela, received a temporary reprieve on Friday when a federal immigration judge ruled that because the federal government may soon change its definition of marriage, Velandia's case will be continued until December.

Friday’s ruling allows Velandia to stay in the United States with his spouse, Josh Vandiver, whom he married in Connecticut on Aug. 29, 2010 for at least seven more months.

"Henry's deportation still looms over us,  but after a deep breath we'll come back and advocate," said Vandiver, doctoral candidate in political theory at Princeton University.

The couple legally married in Connecticut in 2010, but because the federal government does not recognize the marriage, Vandiver can not sponsor Velandia for a green card.

On Thursday in a different case, according to the Huffington Post, U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder "vacated a deportation order ... for a man who, if he were married to a woman rather than in a civil union with a man, would likely be eligible to remain in the country." Holder said his decision would not affect other same-sex couples.

Holder announced he would ask the federal Board of Immigration Appeals to reconsider the application of New Jersey resident Paul Wilson Dorman, and to "determine whether his deportation order was based on the Defense of Marriage Act, a 1996 law that bans same-sex marriages."

In February, U.S. President Barack Obama said the U.S. Would no longer defend the Defense of Marriage Act, yet the deportations of bi-national couples continues.

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

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