asylum

Anton Tanumihardja Faced Deportation To Oppressive Indonesia On Valentine’s Day. There’s Good News

Anton Tanumihardja, the 45-year-old gay Indonesian native who U.S. immigration officials were going to deport on Valentine’s Day, has been granted an 11th hour reprieve while his appeal to have his stay extended is heard. That’s good news for Anton’s partner of seven months Brian Andersen, 28, who’s been thinking about his future with his partner: moving in together in Philadelphia, and maybe even marriage. But Anton’s residence in the U.S., where he’s lived since 2002, was thrown into turmoil when the Department of Immigration, Customs and Enforcement notified Anton he would be deported Feb. 14, despite an appeal filed in September that noted the oppression and violence gays were facing in his homeland, by citizens and government police forces alike. It’s unclear how much the couple’s campaigning to Sen. Bob Casey and Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano helped secure a temporary extension from ICE, but it did mean the pair got to spend their first Valentine’s Day together.

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