Hawaii Purple Heart veteran forced to self-deport requests pardon from New York governor
Decorated Army veteran hopes gubernatorial pardon can help him return home to Hawaii
HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - A decorated U.S. Army veteran who self-deported to South Korea last summer due to his criminal record hopes a gubernatorial pardon can help him return home to Hawaii.
Purple Heart recipient Sae Joon Park’s green card was revoked after 2009 drug and bail jumping convictions in Queens, New York, but he had been allowed to remain in the U.S. under a deferred action program.
But last year, the program ended, and he was told to self-deport by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Park moved to South Korea, a country he had not lived in since he was seven years old, after calling Hawaii home for more than five decades.
Attorney seeks pardon to restore veteran’s status
Park’s attorneys are requesting a full pardon from New York Governor Kathy Hochul in consideration of Park’s military service and subsequent rehabilitation.
“If Governor Hochul decides to grant a pardon to Mr. Park for the bail jumping conviction, what we can do then is we can go to the immigration court, request a reopening of his immigration case,” said Danicole Ramos, Park’s attorney. “If the court decides to grant a reopening, we can then request the deportation order to be vacated.”
“We are hopeful for the pardon or optimistic,” Ramos said. “We hope that Governor Hochul takes serious consideration to his pardon case, looking at how he’s made, how she’s made decisions, similar decisions in the past, and what she has expressed before as her requirements for how she gives pardons.”
Clearing his record would open the door for Park to have his green card status restored.
Hawaii lawyers pursue separate legal avenue
Park’s attorneys are also waiting on a response from the Queens County District Attorney’s office on a separate request to lower Park’s felony conviction to a misdemeanor.
“I am deeply grateful for the overwhelming support I have received since my deportation. Knowing that so many people continue to stand with me has given me strength during the hardest period of my life. I am especially thankful for my legal team for working hard every day for the chance to come home,” Park said in a written statement.
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