Sae Joon Park, a Purple Heart veteran who self-deported, receives pardon

His removal order was triggered by two convictions from over 15 years ago, when he struggled with untreated PTSD. New York's governor said Park earned a "second chance through rehabilitation."

<img src='https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/979x1601+0+0/resize/979x1601!/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F1c%2Fed%2F932dba064855a1e31712e529534e%2Fsjp.jpg' alt='In June 2025, immigration authorities gave Sae Joon Park an ultimatum: leave voluntarily or face detention and deportation, according to his legal team.'/><p>His removal order was triggered by two convictions from over 15 years ago, when he struggled with untreated PTSD. New York's governor said Park earned a "second chance through rehabilitation."</p><img src='https://media.npr.org/include/images/tracking/npr-rss-pixel.png?story=nx-s1-5948185' />