LANSING, Mich. (Michigan News Source) — A decades-old felony has landed a Michigan man in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody. Now, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s October 23rd pardon aims to erase his record and halt his deportation.

The governor granted clemency to Lue Yang, a 47-year-old from St. Johns who served ten months for a 2001 home invasion before the conviction was later expunged under Michigan law. Though the state cleared his record in 2018, federal immigration authorities still flagged the offense and detained Yang in July.

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In her pardon order, Whitmer described him as “a devoted family man and respected leader in Michigan’s Hmong community,” according to The Detroit News.

Following the pardon, supporters including state Rep. Mai Xiong (D-Warren) urged ICE and the Department of Homeland Security to release Yang and let him return home. “We’re hopeful an immigration judge will look at his case and grant his stay,” Xiong said.

Yang’s attorney is now seeking to overturn the original plea and secure citizenship, while his wife, Ann Vue, thanked Whitmer for “her courage in granting Lue this pardon” and called on federal officials to “bring him home to Michigan.”

Yang came to the United States as a child after his family resettled from Laos. Both his father and grandfather fought alongside U.S. troops during the Vietnam War, and Yang later went on to lead the Hmong Family Association in Lansing.