Story perspectives

Hochul Pardons Purple Heart Veteran Sae Joon Park

8/31/2026

Center

Hochul Pardons Veteran

New York Governor Kathy Hochul pardoned veteran Sae Joon Park, clearing his bail-jumping and drug-possession convictions.
The pardon lets Park’s lawyers petition the Board of Immigration Appeals to vacate his removal order, but it does not restore his right to reenter the U.S.
Park self-deported to South Korea in June 2025 after immigration warned of detention.
Rep. Seth Magaziner questioned former DHS Secretary Kristi Noem about the case at a December 2025 hearing.

Left

Hochul Pardons Veteran

New York Governor Kathy Hochul pardoned Purple Heart veteran Sae Joon Park, erasing his 2009 bail-jumping and 2007 drug-possession convictions.
The pardon gives Park a pathway to overturn his removal order, underscoring the impact of harsh immigration crackdowns on veteran immigrants.
Park was shot twice during the 1989 invasion of Panama and earned a Purple Heart.
ICE placed a removal order after 2011, then granted deferred action for his veteran status.

Blindspot

Park self-deported to South Korea in June 2025 after immigration authorities warned he would be detained and removed if he stayed in the United States.
Within this story's sources, this development appears mainly in Center-leaning coverage and receives less attention in Left-leaning coverage.

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Hochul Pardons Veteran

New York Governor Kathy Hochul pardoned veteran Sae Joon Park, clearing his bail-jumping and drug-possession convictions.
The pardon lets Park’s lawyers petition the Board of Immigration Appeals to vacate his removal order, but it does not restore his right to reenter the U.S.
Park self-deported to South Korea in June 2025 after immigration warned of detention.
Rep. Seth Magaziner questioned former DHS Secretary Kristi Noem about the case at a December 2025 hearing.

1 / 3