New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has announced clemencies for 29 New Yorkers who he says have demonstrated substantial evidence of rehabilitation. The Democrat says some of those given pardons or commutations are facing deportation from the U.S. for minor infractions.
"While President Trump shuts down the federal government over his obsession with keeping immigrants out, New York stands strong in our support for immigrant communities," Governor Cuomo said in a statement Monday. "These actions will help keep immigrant families together and take a critical step toward a more just, more fair and more compassionate New York."
The governor on Monday commuted the sentences of two men convicted of murder and robbery for their parts in a 1988 Albany drug deal that ended in the death of two men. Alphonse Riley-James and Roy Bolus were both 18 at the time and have each served 30 years in prison. They were sentenced to 50 years to life and 75 years to life, respectively.
