(New York) Governor Pardons Immigrants Facing Deportation

[alp227]

Source: The New York Times

Gov. David A. Paterson announced pardons on Monday for six immigrants facing deportation because of old criminal convictions, including a financial administrator at the City University of New York.

The governor said the pardons addressed “shortcomings in our federal immigration laws relating to deportation.”

Mr. Paterson began a special clemency process in the spring with the principal aim of helping permanent legal residents — green card holders — who were at risk of deportation because of long-ago or minor convictions.

“Federal immigration laws,” he said, “are often inflexible, arbitrarily applied and excessively harsh, resulting in the deportation of individuals who have paid the price for their crimes and are now making positive contributions to our society. These pardons represent an attempt to achieve fairness and justice.”

(snip)

The administrator who was pardoned, Mario Benitez, 58, is a Dominican immigrant and the current assistant director of finance for CUNY’s Graduate School and University Center.

(snip)

Another pardon recipient was Kevin Auyeung, 32, a Chinese immigrant who, at age 17, was convicted of robbery.

(snip)

Also pardoned was Marlon Oscar Powell, 36, a Jamaican immigrant who was being held in an immigration jail in New Jersey on Monday, facing deportation for a misdemeanor drug possession conviction when he was 15, the governor’s office said.

While most of the pardon recipients had green cards, one, Sanjay Broomfield, was a legal immigrant whose past conviction had blocked his application for a green card.

Mr. Broomfield, 28, a Jamaican immigrant, was convicted of criminal possession of a weapon in 2005 after he shot and killed a burglar trying to break into his home...

(snip)

The governor also pardoned Darshini Ramsaran, 25, a citizen of Guyana and Trinidad who was facing deportation for her participation four years ago in a robbery...

Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/07/nyregion/07pardon.html

[pinboy3niner]

1. "...an attempt to achieve fairness and justice.”

Good for Gov. Paterson. :thumbsup:

K&R

[Skittles]

2. these are good

:thumbsup:

[provis99]

3. a killer, two robbers, a crackhead, and a multiple thief and liar.

What outstanding immigrants.:sarcasm:

[Tempest]

4. A killer?

He shot a man trying to break into his house. What would have you done? Made him tea?

Most of the others were minor infractions while a minor. But I suppose you want the death sentence for them.

[KamaAina]

5. A crackhead?

It says "drug possession conviction". For all we know, it could have been a nickel bag.