Bi-national couple wins deportation reprieve

DUMMERSTON, Vt. — Vermont Public Radio recently profiled a legally married same-sex bi-national couple that had secured a temporary reprieve from a threatened deportation.

Takako Ueda can live with her wife Frances Herbert in the United States for at least two more years under the deferred action. However, if the reprieve is not extended at that time, Ueda could still face deportation to her native Japan, as her green card application was denied six months ago.

Though the two are legally married in Vermont, the federal Defense of Marriage Act forbids the government from recognizing their union. A proposed bill that would allow American citizens to sponsor their same-sex partners for citizenship, the Uniting American Families Act, and its predecessor the Permanent Partners Immigration Act, have never succeeded in gaining traction in Congress.

The couple told Vermont Public Radio they are relieved.

“Oh my gosh,” was Ueda’s reaction. “That was [a] really huge surprise. I just had some feeling [that a] miracle [will] happen. And it really happened.”