On Christmas Eve, Governor Paterson issued pardons to 24 immigrants who faced deportation from the United States for minor criminal actions – most of which occurred many years ago. The pardons are in addition to six that he had granted earlier in the month, and stem from his creation of an immigration pardon review board in May of this year.
Governor Paterson created the immigration review board because of the injustice that the immigration system sometimes has on immigrants who have reformed their lives following a brush with the law. He reemphasized this injustice in making his pardons public. In response to the creation of the immigration pardon review board, the Governor’s office received over 1,100 applications.
Information about the immigrants can be found on the governor’s website.