Gov. Kathy Hochul has agreed to pardon a 52-year-old Laotian refugee who has lived in the United States most of his life — issuing clemency for a decades-old manslaughter conviction in a move supporters say helps him narrowly avoid deportation by the Trump administration.

Hochul pardoned Somchith “Sammy” Vatthanavong last month, which meant he was not also on a plane that sent 100 other refugees back to Laos and Vietnam this week, according to Mekong NYC, an organization advocating for the local Southeast Asian community. The group, which had advocated for the pardon, announced it earlier this week but it was first announced by Hochul’s administration on a list of recent commutations on Friday.

The organization said that Vatthanavong is one of more than 15,000 Southeast Asian people in t

See Full Page