The U.S. Gave Asylum to a Gay Mother of Two. Why Did Only One Son Get to Join Her?

Hila Cohen and Shannon Sibold spoke to the San Francisco Chronicle about their pro bono client, Angeline, who fled Cameroon eight years ago to escape the violent persecution she experienced for her sexuality. While she was granted asylum and is now living in Oakland, California with her wife and two children, her adopted son Amal was denied entry because of a federal asylum logjam. [Because of risks to Amal's safety if he is identified, Angeline and Amal are pseudonyms.]

The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services denied Amal’s application, warning that the relationship between Angeline and her son could be fraudulent given that he was not adopted formally and that she kept his adoption a secret from those around her. But, according to Hila and Shannon, the reason she kept the secret was the same reason she was granted asylum – fear of persecution, violence, and imprisonment because of her sexual orientation.

“She was trying to save her life, and trying to stop these rumors about her: that she’s a lesbian in a country where it’s against the law,” Hila said. “And when it was found out that she was a lesbian, she was arrested and abused. Obviously, she’s going to do what she has to do to save her life.”

Shannon added: “We’ve been going in a big circle here. There’s concern on the U.S. side that the birth certificate is not sufficient in light of the circumstances in which it was garnered. But on the Cameroonian side, they have a birth certificate that says [Angeline] is the mother. So, if she tries to go through the process of adopting the child, they’ll say: You’re already the mother. Who are you adopting?”

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