Twin Cities man in ICE detention seeks pardon in effort to stop deportation

Just days away from being deported, a glimmer of hope comes through for a Minnesota man in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention.

At Chandee, known by family and friends as Ricky, had a hearing Friday before the state's Clemency Review Commission. It's the first step to potentially receive a pardon for a crime he committed over 30 years ago when he was 18.

The assault conviction is the reason ICE agents picked him up during Operation Metro Surge in January. At Chandee, a refugee from Laos, was sent to a detention facility in Texas. If his conviction is pardoned, family members hope it will lead to his release.

Dozens of family members, friends, and coworkers packed the hearing room to the point that more chairs were needed to accommodate everyone. Several testified before the commission about At Chandee's character. That included coworkers from the City of Minneapolis where At Chandee has worked as an engineer technician for the past 27 years. 

"It's hard to believe that somebody like Ricky was taken away. He was such a contributor to work, and not just the work itself but just the atmosphere of work," said Bob Ervin, the engineering manager at the city's water treatment plant.

After serving his sentence and paying restitution, At Chandee has had zero run-ins with the law. Family members shared stories of how he grew into a loving father, volunteered and was dedicated to public service.

At Chandee's son, Alex, testified via Zoom from an Air Force base where he's currently serving. 

"I would not be half the man I am today without my father," he said.

Chandee's wife, Tina Huynh-Chandee, fought through tears as she began to testify, ultimately leaning on At Chandee's lifelong friend, Tim Blaylark, to finish reading her statement as the moment became overwhelming.

At Chandee himself was supposed to testify via Zoom, but he was transferred to a detention facility in Louisiana the night before the hearing. Blaylark read a statement At Chandee prepared.

"Over the years, I have worked hard to grow into a better person. I often remind myself and others to think before acting and not to make decisions based on emotion, lessons I wish I had understood at 18," Blaylark read aloud.

The commission voted 6-0 in favor of recommending that the Minnesota Board of Pardons grant At Chandee a pardon. After the vote, Commissioner Zach Lindstrom thanked At Chandee's supporters for sharing his story while denouncing the current presidential administration for locking him up.

"A man that's now 52 years old has been ripped away from his family for absolutely no reason," said Lindstrom. "My hope is that this can set him on the path back to getting his life back and getting reunited with you as soon as possible."

The moment, however, is bittersweet. Huynh-Chandee said that upon being transferred to a new facility, her husband was given a deportation date of Tuesday. That's weeks before the Board of Pardons has its next meeting in June, which is when At Chandee's pardon could be made official. Huynh-Chandee isn't giving up.

"I'm still hopeful that maybe we can hopefully stop the flight, for him to hopefully stay in the U.S., so we can continue to fight for him," she said.

If the pardon is granted, a law expert told WCCO that the deportation order attached to the pardoned conviction could possibly be rescinded. 

"The person [would then be] restored to the prior status that they had before the removal proceedings occurred, whether that's going back to permanent resident status or maybe they were here as an asylee or refugee that never became a permanent resident," said attorney Nico Ratkowski.

Ratkowski is not connected to At Chandee's case, but he does have experience helping immigrants successfully seek pardons for convictions related to fraud. 

"In those situations, the Board of Pardons has been a great help in terms of helping offset these really severe collateral consequences, especially for people who paid all of their restitution and have no criminal history since," Ratkowski said.