1. United States
2. Mich.
3. Letter

Protecting Immigrant Residents through Executive Pardons I am writing to urge you to utilize your clemency power to pardon immigrants and asylum seekers within our state who have already had their records expunged. Recent legal developments in Michigan (March 2026) have established that a Governor’s pardon can effectively vacate a conviction in a way that federal immigration authorities (ICE) must respect. While expungements are often ignored by federal agents, a full pardon provides the "vacatur for cause" necessary to stop deportations and reopen paths to citizenship. Our immigrant neighbors with expunged records have already proven their value to our state. I ask that you follow this precedent and issue pardons to protect these individuals from unjust detention and to allow those who were deported to return home.