Governor Pardons NYC Immigrants Facing Possible Deportation

NEW YORK, NY — Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Wednesday pardoned 18 immigrants, including at least two from New York City, whose criminal convictions had put them in danger of deportation.

The move — in part a rebuke of President Donald Trump's immigration crackdown — aimed to protect some immigrants whom federal authorities want out of the United States despite them staying out of trouble for at least a decade, state officials said. Others want to become U.S. citizens but can't with criminal convictions.

"While the federal government continues to target immigrants and threatens to tear families apart with deportation, these actions take a critical step toward a more just, more fair and more compassionate New York," Cuomo said in a statement.

Among those pardoned Wednesday is Lorena Borjas of Jackson Heights, Queens, a transgender woman who came to the U.S. from Mexico in 1981. She's become a leader in community health programs, offering free HIV testing across the nation. Borjas also founded the Lorena Borjas Community Fund, which provides legal services to LGBT people.

Borjas, 54, was convicted of fourth-degree criminal facilitation in 1994 after she became a victim of human trafficking, state officials said. She now hopes to become a U.S. citizen and avoid deportation.

Cuomo also pardoned Alexander Shilov, who was convicted of several misdemeanors from 2000 to 2004 that he committed to feed his drug addiction, state officials said.

Shilov has been sober for 13 years and now works as a nurse in Brooklyn and volunteers in New York's Medical Reserve Corps. The pardon will help him fight an order of removal that's put him in danger of deportation, state officials said.

Cuomo also pardoned 16 other immigrants with nonviolent convictions that are at least 10 years old. The pardons aren't automatic protection from deportation, state officials said, but they help the recipients' chances in fighting removal in immigration court.

Immigrant-rights advocates praised Cuomo's move, saying it protects immigrants from the dire penalty of deportation for non-violent crimes they committed years ago.

"In granting these pardons, the Governor is also sending a signal of hope to the immigrant community, which has faced a difficult year of fear mongering and threats, that New York will continue to stand for freedom, human rights, and redemption," said Alisa Wellek, executive director of the Immigrant Defense Project, which helps immigrants with pardon applications.

Cuomo issued a total of 61 pardons or commutations on Wednesday. They also included 39 pardons for misdemeanors and other nonviolent crimes to people who were convicted at age 16 or 17. They may be able to have their convictions sealed under state legislation passed this year that raises the age of criminal responsibility, state officials said.

The governor gave two pardons to current or former New Yorkers who aren't immigrants. One, Christopher Cavallo, was pardoned for a 40-year-old drug possession conviction, allowing him to run for public office in Florida, where he now lives.

Another, Mary Snook Downing, has been crime-free since her conviction on two charges in 1987. She now seeks legal guardianship of her 88-year-old mother, who lives in Florida and suffers from dementia.

Cuomo also commuted the prison sentences of two people sentenced to at least 25 years in jail for murder or attempted murder. One of them is Dominic Dupont, who will return to his Brooklyn home after more than 20 years in prison for murder.

Dupont is the nephew of the actor Michael K. Williams, who is famous for his roles on the TV shows "The Wire" and "Boardwalk Empire," the New York Daily News noted.

Dupont has "has displayed personal growth and through his actions demonstrates positive leadership qualities and behavior for other inmates," Thomas Griffin, superintendent of the Green Haven Correctional Facility, said in a statement.

(Lead image: Gov. Andrew Cuomo speaks at a news conference at NYPD headquarters in Manhattan on Nov. 1. Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)