For Frances Herbert and Takako Ueda, January 1st did not just mark the start of a new year. It was also the first day Ueda was officially – illegally – defying a deportation order that required her to return to her native Japan by December 31st. The lesbian couple is now working with a team of lawyers to find a way for Ueda to remain in the U.S. legally. They have been living together in Dummerston since 2000, and married in Vermont in April. But in early December, the couple got news that Herbert’s application to sponsor Ueda for a spousal visa had been denied, and that Ueda would have to leave the country.