Hartford Resident Granted Stay In Deportation Case

HARTFORD, CT – The Board of Immigration Appeals has granted a stay of deportation to Hartford resident Wayzaro Walton and agreed to reconsider her case, according to a statement from Gov. Ned Lamont. She will be given her the opportunity to make the argument that her full and unconditional pardon from the State of Connecticut should be recognized.

“Wayzaro is a legal United States resident who has lived here since the age of four, and her ability to continue living in this country with her wife and child should not depend on a technicality,” Lamont said in the statement. “A pardon granted in the State of Connecticut is no different than a pardon issued in any other state, and the failure by ICE to recognize that creates an unjust result for the people of Connecticut."

Walton, 35, has lived legally in the U.S. for most of her life. Her mother obtained legal permanent resident status for her when she brought her to the U.S. from England at the age of four in the 1980s. She later went on to marry a U.S. citizen and has a minor child, who is also a U.S. citizen.

In March, ICE officials detained and planned to deport Walton based on her conviction of two nonviolent offenses, the most recent having occurred more than seven years ago and for which she was granted full pardons by the State of Connecticut.

The federal immigration agency, however, is refusing to recognize the pardons because Connecticut pardons are issued by the Board of Pardons and Appeals – whose members are appointed by the governor - rather than directly by the governor. She has continued to remain in federal custody since her detention, according to Lamont's statement.