California Governor Gavin Newsom has issued a pardon to Sithy Bin, a Cambodian-born immigrant with a felony conviction, in a move that may prevent federal immigration authorities from deporting him.
According to KCRA, Bin was among 16 people Newsom pardoned over Easter Weekend.
Bin, now 50, was convicted in 2008 for firing a weapon at a rival gang member’s home during a Long Beach barbecue, injuring a bystander. A former member of “Crips with Attitude,” Bin was sentenced to 40 years to life in prison but began a path of rehabilitation while incarcerated. According to Los Angeles Times, Bin became a minister in prison, accrued commendations from correctional staff, and maintained a clean record.
“While in prison, Mr. Bin was never disciplined for misconduct,” Newsom wrote in his pardon order, per Los Angeles Times. “He engaged in extensive self-help programming, maintained an excellent work history, and received numerous commendations from correctional staff for his positive transformation.”
Upon early release during the COVID-19 pandemic, Bin was transferred to ICE custody and later ordered to self-deport to Cambodia—a country he fled as a toddler and where he has no personal ties. Newsom’s full and unconditional pardon effectively nullifies the state felony that triggered federal deportation proceedings.
Immigration advocates highlight that deportation disproportionately affects Southeast Asian refugees with past convictions, many of whom arrived as children under U.S. protection during post-war resettlement.
Since taking office, Newsom has granted over 220 pardons and has frequently clashed with federal immigration policy. His pardon of Bin joins earlier efforts by both Newsom and former Governor Jerry Brown to use executive clemency as a shield against deportation for immigrants with rehabilitated criminal records.
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