Overview
- Gov. Gavin Newsom granted the pardon on Feb. 20, citing Somboon Phaymany’s rehabilitation, community service, and caregiving as the basis for clemency.
- DHS said the pardon lets Phaymany reopen his immigration case rather than face removal, with Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin calling the move “absolute INSANITY.”
- Phaymany, a Cambodian national, was convicted in 1997 of attempted murder and firearm offenses and was sentenced to 14 years to life.
- He lost his green card and received a final removal order in 2019, a posture that could be revisited because the state convictions were pardoned.
- Catholic leaders Bishop Michael Pham and Rev. Scott Santarosa urged clemency, while Newsom’s office defended a rigorous review process and told critics to “spare us the outrage.”