This one I have mixed feeling about. I have just read the story of Josh Vandriver and Henry Velandia. They are a bi-national couple who are about to torn apart due to Henry not being a legal US citizen. He is about to be deported back to Venezuela on May 6. They got married in Connecticut, but as we all know the United States does not recognize gay marriage. The only hope they have of staying together is Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano to declare a moratorium on the deportation until gay marriage is recognized on the national level.
To aide in this project, the Courage Campaign of All Out has launched a petition to Secretary Napolitano to stop Henry’s deportation. I am conflicted because I hate to see a couple split apart, but I also believe citizenship should be earned and not “handed out” just because someone got married to a US citizen. Possible deportation is an issue all bi-national couples have to consider before getting married, whether they are gay or straight. Plenty of straight marriages have been torn apart because of this.
If Henry wanted to be a citizen of the United States he should go through the proper process just like everyone else. Why didn’t he want citizenship before he got married? I do not see where this is a special case just because it is a gay couple. The bottom line is it’s an immigration issue not a marriage equality issue. Our immigration policies should be upheld without special consideration of Josh and Henry being a gay couple. This makes them truly equal with straight couples who are suffering the consequences of illegal immigration. Call me a stone cold bitch I don’t care. It’s what I believe.
Watch their video below.
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