UPDATE: Robert was granted deferred action and a temporary halt on his deportation! But despite this big win, Robert’s fight isn’t over and his deferred action could expire in September.  

Help us STOP Robert’s deportation forever by calling on President Biden to pardon Robert for his single offense and on U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to permanently grant deferred action.

Robert Panton, a Black man from Harlem, has lived in the United States for 50 years. He is a devoted father, grandfather, and respected role model. But now ICE is trying to deport him for a single criminal conviction from over 30 years ago to a country he does not know, tearing him from his beloved community and family despite his transformation and years of service to those around him.  

In Harlem, New York, where he grew up, Robert is a renowned community leader famous for his work mentoring and teaching youth through critical community programs. Robert’s devotion to his neighbors is his way of passing on the lessons he learned through incarceration and transformation.  

Robert served more than 30 years in prison for a single drug offense during the height of the U.S. government’s “War on Drugs.” Like many other Black men, Robert suffered the disproportionate treatment of the racially unjust criminal legal system. Today, due to recent reforms, that same conviction would likely result in a sentence of one-third the time he served.     

But now, even after fully serving his harsh sentence, Robert faces a second punishment: deportation and separation from his children, grandchildren and his beloved Harlem. This is due to the broken U.S. immigration system that doles out a double punishment for Black men like Robert. Even up against this injustice, Robert continues every day to give of himself to his loved ones and his community.    

Despite his exceptional service to Harlem and support from New Yorkers and members of Congress, ICE could deport Robert before the end of the year. Robert deserves an overdue second chance so he can continue to serve the many loved ones and young people in Harlem who depend on him.  

The National Immigrant Justice Center alongside Perkins Coie LLP filed a request for a presidential pardon of the single decades-old drug offense that puts Robert at risk of imminent deportation.

Help us STOP Robert’s deportation by calling on President Biden to pardon Robert and ask ICE to grant permanent deferred action. They have the power to let Robert stay forever in the only home he knows! Sign the petition now.