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Gov. Hochul pardons NY man convicted of manslaughter, to help him avoid deportation
By
Giulia Heyward
Published Aug 15, 2025
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Lev Radin/Pacific Press/LightRocket via Getty Images
By
Giulia Heyward
Published Aug 15, 2025
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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 the United States who are being targeted by the White House because of previous convictions.
Vatthanavong previously served 14 years in prison over manslaughter charges. The New York Times reports they relate to a fight at a Brooklyn pool hall that escalated on Christmas Eve in 1988, when Vatthanavong was 16 years old. Vatthanavong had said he shot a man, Miguel Melero, after being threatened with a knife, and hasn’t held a gun since, according to the report.
The pardon from Hochul comes after a yearslong campaign from Vatthanavong’s family and other advocacy groups to allow him to continue to live in the United States, after arriving at the age of 7. Laos has not traditionally cooperated with deportations of its citizens from the U.S., but the Trump administration has stepped up pressure on the country and deported several of its citizens to third countries after winning approval to do so from the Supreme Court earlier this summer.
Vatthanavong’s pardon came the day before a scheduled check in with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, when Mekong NYC said it anticipated he would have been detained by the agency. It said that as a result of the pardon, the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund helped Vatthanavong reopen his immigration case and vacate a 25-year-old removal order.
In the statement from the group, Vatthanavong said the thought of being sent back to Laos “was terrifying.”
“This pardon from Gov. Hochul feels like being reborn,” he said. "Everyone deserves a second chance, and my story is proof that when our communities fight together, we can protect each other.”
The White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment from Gothamist.
“As we continue to anticipate more deportations and the ongoing separation of Southeast Asian families, we remain committed to organizing our community until all people are free and safe,” said Socheatta Meng, executive director at Mekong NYC.
Tagged
Politics
immigration
Giulia Heyward
Giulia Heyward is a breaking news reporter on the Day-Of desk. She previously worked at NPR, as a breaking news reporter, and the New York Times, as a reporting fellow on the national desk. Her work has also appeared in CNN, The Atlantic and Politico. Got a tip? Email [email protected] or more securely on signal at 917-715-1458.
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