The deportation proceedings of a gay Colombian man who is married to an American citizen were immediately stopped by a New York City immigration judge only minutes after the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) was struck down by the Supreme Court.
Steven, who was in danger of being deported to Colombia — a country he had not lived in for 12 years — married Sean Brooks in 2011.
10:30 EDT: NYC Immigration Judge stopped #deportation proceedings for Colombian man married to gay American... http://t.co/Tt9NlcjTZB
The DOMA Project
@GayBinationals
10:30 EDT: NYC Immigration Judge stopped #deportation proceedings for Colombian man married to gay American... http://t.co/Tt9NlcjTZB
At the time, Brooks wrote about his experience as he and his husband decided to publicly fight to stay together.
I am no stranger to injustice. I am black, gay, I came of age at a time when de-segregation had been fought for, and though not complete, had started changing society. Living through this upheaval and becoming well-adjusted as a double minority is not the sum total of my experience. Coming to terms with being black and gay, I found myself in my fifth decade of life contending with a new identity as half of a binational gay couple.
Initially the green card request was denied because the hardship the deportation would have on his spouse was not recognized as a valid reason. Today's ruling is one of the first of many for binational couples like them.
