An undocumented Hartford woman already in the custody of Immigration and Customs Enforcement has been granted a temporary stay of deportation -- but it's not yet clear if that will allow her to stay in the United States.
Wayzaro Walton was given relief by the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit.
Walton came to the United States from the United Kingdom when she was four. Her attorney says that misdemeanor larceny convictions led to Walton losing her permanent resident status in 2012.
Connecticut's Attorney General William Tong says she should be released from ICE custody – and that ICE should be recognizing a Connecticut board’s pardoning of Walton’s prior convictions.
“She got a full pardon, according to the laws of the state of Connecticut. That counts for all purposes," Tong told a news conference Monday. "ICE has taken the position that because the board of pardons and paroles did it -- and Connecticut does it its own way -- that it doesn’t count. That’s just false. We needed to step in to make clear that in Connecticut, when we pardon somebody through our process, that means they’re pardoned for all purposes and it should not be a basis for an order of removal or immigration enforcement.”
Walton’s wife is Tamika Ferguson. She said that Walton’s detention has been difficult for her and the couple’s 15-year-old daughter.
“Me and my daughter miss her very much," said Ferguson. "We need her home mentally, financially, emotionally, and physically.”
Walton is currently in a federal detention center in Boston. ICE says she’ll remain there until she can be deported.
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