Gov. Paterson pardons 24 to stop deportations

ASSOCIATED PRESS
Last Updated: 2:23 PM, December 24, 2010
Posted: 2:23 PM, December 24, 2010

ALBANY — Gov. David Paterson has issued pardons to 24 immigrants with prior criminal convictions, to prevent their deportation.

In a statement Friday, Paterson said his administration has reviewed more than 1,100 pardon applications and found that federal immigration laws are often
"excessively harsh and in need of modernization."

Paterson said the 24 people he had pardoned committed offenses in the past but had paid their debt to society
and are now making positive contributions to their communities.

In May 2010, Paterson created an Immigration Pardon Panel to collect information and help deserving individuals
avoid deportation. He said the initiative was designed to counter aspects of federal immigration laws that may result in inflexible and unjust decisions
to deport legal immigrants.


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