New York Governor pardons immigrants threatened with deportation

Photo: twitter / CE @ ICEgov

Despite the tough attitude of the Trump administration on immigration, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo pardoned 18 immigrants who were facing deportation, including an activist from the transgender community.

On Wednesday, December 27, Cuomo pardoned the 61 man, among whom were 18 immigrants. They all committed misdemeanors or non-violent crimes when they were minors, but for 10 years they had no problems with the law.

“As the federal government continues to trap migrants and threaten to separate families through deportation, these actions take an important step toward a fairer and more compassionate New York,” the governor said in a statement.

Among the pardoned immigrants is Lorena Borjas, 57, a transgender woman from Mexico who was convicted of a felony in 1994 after being arrested as a victim of human trafficking.
Since then, she has become a supporter of promoting justice to transgender people, HIV-infected people and immigrants in Queens. The application for pardon Borzhas was approved by several elected officials, including New York public lawyer Letitia James.

Alisa Wellek, Executive Director of the Immigrant Protection Project, noted the importance of pardon.

“By granting these pardons, the Governor provides hope to an immigrant community that has faced a difficult year of fear and threats that New York will continue to stand up for freedom and human rights,” Wellek said in a statement.

Supporters of immigrants are concerned that these arrests by ICE officers can have a stunning effect on immigrants who report crimes and appear in court.
In August, New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman and Brooklyn District Acting Attorney Eric Gonzalez called for an end to immigration raids in and around the courts, asking ICE to treat the courthouses as “sensitive places” that include schools and churches.

Seymour James, chief lawyer of the Legal Aid Society, called Cuomo's immigrant clemency "humanitarian measure."

“These pardons will bring a well-deserved second chance to immigrants at imminent risk of deportation,” James said in a statement. “It is critical that New York continues to do everything it can to combat the fear and hatred created by bad federal policies and provide help to those who need it most.”

Cuomo also granted 39 pardons to residents of New York City who were convicted of non-violent crimes during adolescence. Pardons are designed to remove barriers to their careers related to their previous beliefs.

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