Ground Zero Worker Can Fight Deportation After Winning Pardon For Drug Crime

QUEENS, NEW YORK — An immigrant who worked to clear Ground Zero after 9/11 can now challenge his deportation after being pardoned for a 1990 drug conviction. He was granted clemency by New York Governor Andrew Cuomo Wednesday.

Queens resident Carlos Cardona served as a cleanup and hazmat official at the site for four months, moving dangerous material to create a safer space for other recovery workers and residents of the area.

Cardona, a Colombian immigrant, was detained during a routine meeting with the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in February, according to Cuomo's office. Since then, he has been held in Hudson Correctional Facility in Kearny, NJ, waiting to be deported.

In 1990, as a 21-year-old, Cardona was convicted of the attempted criminal sale of a controlled substance in Queens, according to Cuomo's office. Now, after 27 years of a crime-free life, he is married to an American citizen and is father to a 19-year-old daughter.

The pardon means he can now challenge the grounds for his deportation.

Cardona immigrated to the U.S. in 1986 with the hopes of escaping violence in Santiago de Cali, where his family faced threats from local gangs due to his brother's involvement with law enforcement, Cuomo's office said.

Due to his work in the wreckage of the World Trade Center, Cardona suffers from acute respiratory issues, depression, anxiety, and PTSD, a spokesman for Cuomo said.

"In the more than 30-years since Carlos Cardona has lived in this country, he has built a family and given back to his community, including in the aftermath of 9/11 when he assisted with Ground Zero recovery efforts at the expense of his own health," Cuomo said.

"It is my hope this action will not only reunite Mr. Cardona with his wife and daughter, but also send a message about the values of fairness and equality that New York was founded upon."

The New York State Constitution and State Law grants the Governor the authority to pardon individuals. Cuomo has pardoned 115 people since he came into office in 2011.

Lead image via Kelly Garbato/Flickr