Wayzaro Walton was released from federal detention Wednesday and will be reunited with her wife and daughter.
Walton is a British citizen and a permanent U.S. resident who has lived in America since she was 4 years old.
Federal immigration officials want to deport Walton based on larceny convictions, despite a full pardon of those convictions from the Connecticut Board of Pardons and Paroles.
“For nearly an entire year, Wayzaro -- a legal United States resident-- has been held in federal custody, away from her family for no good reason, and it is about time that she was released and reunited with her loved ones,” Gov. Ned Lamont said in a statement. “Human decency has prevailed. I’m glad that she will be able to enjoy Thanksgiving.”
Both Walton’s wife and daughter are U.S. citizens.
“This family has gone through unimaginable and needless trauma, and for them to be able to spend the holidays together is a true blessing,” Attorney Gen. William Tong said in a news release.
The Board of Immigration Appeals has yet to rule on the merits of Walton’s case and issued a stay of deportation while it decides the matter.
