In the continuing saga of the split personality of Professor Hope and Mr. Homophobe, the Obama Administration is in the process of deporting the legal spouse of 7 years (and partner of 19 years) of an American citizen because his spouse is a non-citizen of the same sex. The spouse is also his husband's primary caregiver in his battle with HIV/AIDS. According to a July 26th order, Anthony Makk, a citizen of Australia, must depart the United States by August 25th despite being the legal spouse of Bradford Wells, an American citizen and despite meeting several of the criteria of a memo on enforcement by the director of ICE in June.
Every few weeks it seems we see another case... some married or long term partnered same sex couple where one person is facing deportation from the U.S. because of bigotry enshrined in U.S. law. From the case of Henry Velandia to that of Monica Alcota, such couples had thought that a June memo designed to make the U.S.'s deportation guidelines "more humane" for same sex couples would end the madness, but it has not.
Bradford Wells has AIDS. His partner, Anthony Makk, of 19 years is his primary caregiver. They married in Massachusetts seven years ago to formalize their relationship. Now Makk is being deported despite the new guidelines and despite the Obama Administration's position that the D[enial] of Marriage Act is unconstitutional. Again and again the administration has said they want Congress to address immigration reform, but has done little to actually get the ball rolling. LGBT activists have repeatedly urged the President or Homeland Security Secretary Napolitano to issue a moratorium on deportations of the same sex spouses or civil union partners of LGBT couples, but they have refused to budge even when a similar moratorium covering the non-citizen widow(er)s of American citizens whose spouse died during the naturalization process was issued shortly after the administration came into office and served as a springboard to Congress changing the law mandating their deportation. Obama needs to issue another such order. The continued pattern of making a small wave in the media to give the impression he's the greatest, bestest, most pro LGBT President every still is meant to the deep undercurrent of homophobia the President is implementing when the American public isn't watching, an undercurrent that will continue to undermine the President's support in the LGBT community, because unlike the general public, we are watching.
Here is the story of another such couple facing spousal deportation featured on CNN a couple of months ago: