Governor Ned Lamont is asking the federal government to recognize pardons handed down to residents by the state. Lamont wrote a letter to the secretary of the United States Department of Homeland Security after the detention by ICE of an undocumented Hartford woman.
Wayzaro Walton was picked up by ICE on Tuesday the March 26. By the next morning, according to her attorney, Walton was officially pardoned for the prior misdemeanor convictions that led to her receiving a removal order.
Governor Lamont said that ICE won’t acknowledge the pardon because clemency in Connecticut is decided on by a board rather than by the governor himself.
“Failure by ICE to acknowledge the pardoning authority of the State of Connecticut creates an unfair and unjust result for the citizens of our state,” said Lamont in the letter.
He doesn’t specifically call for Walton’s outright release, but he said that if ICE were to recognize the pardon, Walton would have a chance to make positive contributions in the community.
Walton came to the United States from the United Kingdom when she was four. Her attorney said that she lost her permanent resident status in 2012.
ICE has said to Connecticut Public Radio that the pardon won’t impact Walton’s scheduled deportation.
Connecticut Public Radio reached out to the Department of Homeland Security and a spokesperson replied saying that DHS will not comment on the governor’s letter, and it will respond “as appropriate.”
