By Keith Burbank and Kathleen Kirkwood. Bay City News.
A convicted murderer who reformed and plans to live in Oakland was deported to Cambodia on Tuesday, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials confirmed Thursday.
Phoeun You, 48, sought a pardon from Gov. Gavin Newsom that never came before her deportation. You’s reentry plan focused on Oakland.
Federal officials said You was convicted of first-degree murder in Los Angeles County in 1996 and sentenced to 35 years to life in prison, and was a member of the Asian Boyz gang, according to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
Supporters of You said he has turned his life around and is a founding member of the restorative justice program Restoring Our Original True Selves, a certified counselor for Bay Area Women Against Rape and a mentor to other incarcerated refugees from Asia.
“It’s very sad that Governor Newsom could have done more to intervene, but chose not to,” said James Bunyou, You’s older brother. “He is not listening to the outcry from our community. Our family would like to thank all the friends who came out to support him and fight for Phoeun to stay.”
Newsom's office only noted Tuesday night: "Information about clemency applications is confidential and we cannot discuss individual cases. The governor views clemency as an important part of the criminal justice system and all applications receive a thorough and careful review."
You served 26 years in prison. A pardon from Newsom would have allowed him to stay in the U.S., where his family has lived since he fled the Khmer Rouge when he was 4.
“Phoeun should be home with his family, not deported to a country he escaped as a child,” said So Young Lee, an immigrant rights attorney with Advancing Justice-Asian Law Caucus who represents him.
Supporters say You could return to the U.S. if Newsom ultimately pardons him.
You's family fled Cambodia in 1978 and found safety in a refugee camp in Thailand. After a year, the family resettled in Utah and later moved to Long Beach, according to Advancing Justice-Asian Law Caucus.
In 1995, when You was 20, he opened fire into a crowd, killing a 17-year-old boy.
In August 2021, the California Board of Parole Hearings recommended that he be released from state prison in recognition of his rehabilitation and service. However, on the date of his release, the California prison system contacted ICE to detain and deport him.
On January 5, ICE took custody of him, and later that month, an immigration judge in Van Nuys, California, ordered him sent to Cambodia.
Last month, about 100 supporters rallied at the Elihu M. Harris State Building in Oakland to call for a pardon for You and urged Newsom to support the VISION Act, Assembly Bill 937, which would end the practice of turning over community members like You for deportation.
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