Legislation would allow some faced with deportation a chance to challenge their old convictions
After serving 12 years in prison for a robbery he committed as a 22-year-old, Charles Joseph was ready to be with his wife and three children. Instead, Immigration and Customs Enforcement immediately took the Fiji native into custody in May 2019.
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Assembly Bill 1259 would … allow noncitizens to challenge old convictions by jury trial when the defendant was unaware that the consequences could later lead to detention and deportation.
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Joseph now does work for the Interfaith Movement for Human Integrity and teaches music, a lifelong love of his. Whether he gets to pursue those passions and remain with his children remains to be seen.
IDA MOJADAD, San Francisco Examiner, Mar. 3, 2021