WORLD NEWS – US – A prisoner in California who fought a wildfire and is now facing deportation

Sacramento, CA. (Associated Press) – Among the thousands of firefighters who battled wildfires that set records in California this year, Baonshan Kyula, a 39-year-old immigrant from Laos was serving a 28-year prison sentence for a gang-related shooting when he was six. Ten years old.

Kyola, one of about 1,800 prisoners fighting the fires, said he had difficulty seeing the smoke during his first mission while he was submerged with chemicals used in fire fighting. When it was over, he was shocked to see people from the community lining up to thank him as he got back on the bus.

Keola was scheduled to launch in October. His sister took a week off work to get ready, buying clothes, shoes and some face masks. But days before his release, Kyula knew he would not be returning home. Federal agents from Immigration and Customs Enforcement brought him and transported him to an immigration detention center in McFarland.

Keola is a legal resident of the U. s. After he fled Laos with his parents when he was two years old. But federal law allows deportation of immigrants with specific criminal convictions.

While California law prohibits local agencies from cooperating with federal immigration authorities on some crimes, it does not apply to the state’s prison system.. Advocates say California prison officials routinely cooperate with federal immigration authorities, transferring released inmates into their custody so they can begin deportation proceedings..

This year alone, the state transferred an estimated 1,265 inmates to federal immigration authorities, according to Sarah Lee, a community advocate at the Asian Law Conference..

California Democratic leaders, including Governor. Gavin Newsom, proudly fought the Trump administration over immigration. They have even passed laws granting government-funded health benefits to young people who live in the country illegally.

But Democratic leaders are alarmed by Newsom’s policy of transferring inmates to federal immigration authorities. They repeatedly asked him to stop, even passing a bill last year to effectively ban the practice. Newsom disagreed, saying he was concerned it would « negatively affect prison operations. ».

The fighting surfaced again on Thursday, when the Senate called a public hearing to question California Department of Correction and Rehabilitation officials about the transfers..

“These are the people who spent their time. State age said, « They have paid their debts to the community. ». Scott Weiner, Democrat from San Francisco. We should reintegrate them into our society, not facilitate Trump’s deportation machine.

Kiola spoke to reporters by phone Thursday from a federal immigration detention center. His lawyer, Anup Prasad, said that the Kiula family fought alongside Yu. s. Soldiers during the Vietnam War. They fled the country when the war ended to avoid persecution and settled in California in 1988, where they became permanent residents.

He said Kyula lived in a poor neighborhood with high levels of violence and joined a protection gang. The San Francisco Chronicle reported that in 2001, he was convicted of second-degree murder attempt, premeditated murder, and assault with a firearm.. .

But during his time in prison, Kyola’s good behavior eventually earned him a security level low enough to volunteer as a firefighter, Prasad says..

A federal judge has ordered Kyola’s deportation, but before that happens, Laos must agree to take him. Prasad said that Kiola does not have a birth certificate or other documents showing that he was born in Laos, and he does not have any family members living in the country.. Lao officials plan to interview him next month.

“I try to be patient, and I just hope to get out of here soon and not face deportation and return to a country I know nothing about and where my family and I have fled for a better life,” he said. I am just asking for a second chance to live this American life and become a firefighter.

California, Deportation, Gavin Newsom