Trump slams California governor over pardons for immigrants

(Image credit: Pablo Martinez Monsivais/The Associated Press)

published 31 March 2018

California Gov. Jerry Brown (D) granted 56 pardons and 14 commutations on Friday, and five of the pardons applied to immigrants who already face or may face deportation. Saturday morning, President Trump expressed his displeasure with the decision on Twitter:

The pardons in this case did not result in early release from prison or probation sentences. "Those granted pardons all completed their sentences years ago and the majority were convicted of drug-related or other nonviolent crimes," said a Friday statement from Brown's office. Rather, the pardons can make deportation less likely. "By forgiving their criminal records," The Sacramento Bee explains, "Brown eliminates the grounds on which they could be targeted for removal from the country."

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Bonnie Kristian was a deputy editor and acting editor-in-chief of TheWeek.com. She is a columnist at Christianity Today and author of Untrustworthy: The Knowledge Crisis Breaking Our Brains, Polluting Our Politics, and Corrupting Christian Community (forthcoming 2022) and A Flexible Faith: Rethinking What It Means to Follow Jesus Today (2018). Her writing has also appeared at Time Magazine, CNN, USA Today, Newsweek, the Los Angeles Times, and The American Conservative, among other outlets.