Omar Helalat, a Dean's List student of the University at Albany, SUNY, has had his DACA protections revoked and been wrongfully detained by immigration and Customs Enforcement after a faulty court case was brought against him in 2018. He now faces deportation to Jordan, a country he hasn't called home since he was five years old.

Governor Andrew Cuomo can pardon Omar, as he has with other immigrants who have, in the governor's own words: "Proved their rehabilitation, but have been unable to gain legal status or fully reenter society due to the stigma of conviction."

I went to school with Omar in Rockland County, New York. We grew up just a few blocks from one another, and rode the bus to school together every morning. From the time he joined me in the classroom at age six, I always knew Omar as a warm, friendly, and contributive member to his community. He is a beloved son, brother to three sisters, and friend to countless people. After having difficulties as a student, Omar went to Albany, where he rose to join the ranks of the school's highest academic performers. As his classmate, his neighbor, and a student who knows what it's like to work through difficult personal trials, I am trying to bring my friend home.

TO THE HONORABLE GOV. CUOMO:

Please help this exceptional young man rejoin the community he has fought so hard to become a part of. We need YOU to pardon Omar so he can go back to being the proud, productive New Yorker he's always been. 

Please submit a motion of clemency for Omar Helalat and throw out CASE #: 6:18-cv-06448 immediately.