ICE arrests Harlem activist amid deportation battle
LOWER MANHATTAN, N.Y. (PIX11) — Robert Panton has spent the latter part of his life fighting for his freedom and has been teetering on deportation for the last five years.
On Tuesday, during a routine check-in with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the 59-year-old was taken into custody.
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'It's a gross misjustice that can be reversed at any time,' Panton said in a video recorded shortly before his detention.
Panton has been fighting deportation to Jamaica since 2020, when a judge ordered his release from prison as part of a radical reform initiative. He had served three decades behind bars for a narcotics conviction during the 'war on drugs' in the 1990s.
'The same day of my release, ICE took me into custody during the worst pandemic in history,' Panton said in 2020 from behind bars.
For 10 months, Panton was held in an ICE detention center during the COVID-19 pandemic. He was later granted a temporary reprieve through deferred action on his deportation.
Since his compassionate release, Panton has turned his life around. A Harlem resident since the age of 4, he has mentored at-risk youth, advocated for immigration reform, and runs a suicide prevention hotline. His son is a New York City police officer.
More: Latest News from Around the Tri-State
'I appreciate all my supporters fighting for due process and proper consideration of being in this country,' Panton said Tuesday.
Despite his efforts to rehabilitate and contribute to society, Panton said current laws continue to punish people like him. 'Our current laws continue to punish people like me even after we complete sentences,' he said.
The Trump administration has renewed its focus on removing individuals since taking office in January.
'We're removing public safety and national security threats to this country,' border czar Tom Homan said Monday.
Panton's family and attorney are continuing to fight to keep him in the United States. The district court (Southern District NY) issued a temporary order that Robert cannot be removed pending further briefing in his case.
ICE has not yet responded to a request for comment.
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