Even though Vargas is a lawful permanent resident, the conviction meant his green card status has been placed on hold, and he was transferred immediately from state prison and placed into the custody of immigration officials, Simpson said.
"You're a young person with your whole life ahead of you and the implications of a criminal conviction, a permanent criminal record, could have longstanding repercussions for you," she said, noting a conviction would prevent him from getting into college.
"You're a young person with your whole life ahead of you and the implications of a criminal conviction, a permanent criminal record, could have longstanding repercussions for you," she said, noting a conviction would prevent him from getting into university.
"You're a young person with your whole life ahead of you and the implications of a criminal conviction, a permanent criminal record, could have longstanding repercussions for you," she said.
The act requires mandatory detention of immigrants and lawful permanent residents with criminal convictions throughout their immigration proceeding, despite the fact that most of these individuals have minor offences, such as drug possession, and are neither major safety threats nor flight risks.
"Something like a DUI or a drug conviction can have permanent immigration consequences," Kinoshita said.
For years after the laws' passage, immigration authorities had neither the resources nor the political will to track down or detain legal permanent residents with relatively minor convictions.
She added that if the district attorney's office found evidence within 90 days that absolved Ms. Watkins and Mr. Glisson, the temporary clearing of their convictions would become permanent.
The controversy has ignited a broader debate about whether New York State needs a permanent body to examine wrongful convictions so that prosecutors are not put in the position of having to examine their own work.
Because of the seriousness of his criminal convictions, Godwin's permanent residence status was taken away and the government ordered him deported back to Liberia.
