By Keith Burbank and Kathleen Kirkwood. Bay City News.
A reformed convicted murderer with plans to live in Oakland was deported to Cambodia on Tuesday, US Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials confirmed Thursday.
Phoeun You, 48, sought a pardon from Gov. Gavin Newsom, which never came before her deportation. You's re-entry 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, as well as being a member of the Asian Boyz gang, according to Immigration and Customs Enforcement. ?ICE, for its acronym in English?.
You's supporters said he turned his life around and is a founding member of the Restoring Our Original True Selves restorative justice program, a certified Bay Area Women Against Rape counselor 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 protests of our community. Our family would like to thank all the friends who came to support him and fight for Phoeun to stay."
Newsom's office only noted Tuesday night: "Information about clemency requests 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 US, where his family has lived since he fled the Khmer Rouge when he was 4 years old.
"Phoeun should be home with his family, not deported to a country he fled from as a child," said So Young Lee, an immigrant rights attorney with the Advancing Justice-Asian Law Caucus who is representing him.
Supporters say You could return to the US if Newsom finally 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 the Advancing Justice-Asian Law Caucus.
In 1995, when You was 20 years old, he shot 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 that same 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 demand a pardon for You and urged Newsom to support the VISION Act, Assembly Bill 937, which would end the practice of turning in community members like You for deportation.
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