Deportation Prevention Advice

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Reaching out to my flist here--anyone have any ideas?

My daughter's best friend Courtney's family took in a friend of their son's. His mother died, and his father abandoned him--sent him on a bus to Courtney's mom (who had moved from Las Vegas to Minnesota, but when they lived in Las Vegas the boy mostly lived with them).

The kid just turned 16. Turns out, he would've had to have been adopted at 15...which Courtney's mom VERY much wants. They were unable to accomplish that before his birthday thanks primarily to his father (who now can't be found), and now he is facing deportation to the Philipines.

He is 16. He has no family here but Courtney's, he has no family there. And, he is gay.

Any advice on how to keep him here would be appreciated. He has a lawyer and they are trying to do anything and everything they can but our government thinks it is more important to send a 16-year-old gay young man with no family or skills to a country he hasn't been to since he was a child.

Thanks flist--I have no idea how this kid can be saved and he is terrified, beyond terrified. I am heartsick for them all.

Comments

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Strategies he and the lawyer could try:

Getting him into school somewhere and applying for a student visa
http://travel.state.gov/visa/temp/types/types_1268.html#need

Does he have a passport from the Phillipines? Or anywhere?

Demonstrating that he has a well-founded fear of persection because he is gay and asking for aslyum http://www.shusterman.com/toc-asyl.html

There's precedent for that

http://www.immigrationequality.org/template.php?pageid=3

But is being gay bad enough in the Phillipines for this to kick in?

Marrying a U.S. Citizen. Problematic since he's gay and gay marriage is not recognized federally, plus since the age of consent to marriage is not under 18 in any state, he would need parental consent, which brings him back to the same find the dad dilemma.

Get an influential magazine to profile him and his dilemma -- perhaps the New York Times Magazine?Something read by people who could offer more help -- and people the government doesn't want to be embarassed in front of.

In case he has to go there, at least temporarily, while this is being worked on:

Contacting gay rights groups in the Phillipines to try to arrange a friendly host and/or foster family for him there if necessary. I would be a lot more comfortable if this could be done by people they know personally and can vouch for, but if not, at least it would be some kind of safety net.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LGBT_rights_in_the_Philippines

Arrange a place for him a an English-speaking boarding high school in the Phillipines.

http://clintsnotes.i.ph/blogs/clintsnotes/2009/07/29/top-international-school-in-the-philippines/

Start a Livejournal fundraising auction and a paypal donation button --to defray legal costs, but also to buy calling cards, plane tickets, etc. in the event that he doesn't win right away.

What a mess. I will be crossing my fingers for him.