A man from Harlem in New York City who has spent more than five decades in the United States was denied release on Friday after recently being detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) during a routine check-in.
Why It Matters
Some attorneys and immigration groups have warned individuals either traveling out of the U.S. or entering that the federal government, due to the illegal immigration crackdown by the Trump administration, could potentially detain individuals—even those with visas or green cards, or students with legal standing to remain here.
Recent cases involving ICE detaining individuals that include students and parents have sparked discussion on the methods being employed by federal agents. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said this week that the State Department has revoked more than 300 student visas and will continue deporting those engaging in antisemitism.
What To Know
On March 25, ICE New York City arrested 59-year-old Robert Servio Panton pursuant to an outstanding warrant of removal.
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) officials tell Newsweek that the current citizen of Jamaica violated the terms of his lawful admission when he was convicted of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute heroin by the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York (SDNY). He was sentenced to life in prison on May 25, 1994.
On August 11, 2020, the U.S. Bureau of Prisons in Inez, Kentucky, released him to ICE Chicago which served him with a notice to appear and placed him into removal proceedings. On January 27, 2021, an immigration judge ordered Panton to be removed from the country.
Panton has appealed his removal order to the Board of Immigration Appeals and the U.S. District Court, Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals, on numerous occasions—in turn being granted several limited stays of deportation, including being provided six months to affect his self-departure from the U.S. The government claims he failed to do that.
Another request for deferred action was submitted on August 22, 2024, which ICE New York City approved until March 25.
On Friday, SDNY Judge Katherine Polk Failla denied Panton’s motion to be released with bond while deportation proceedings continue, according to Inner City Press.
“Panton is a criminal alien and a member of the Black Guerrilla Family, a known prison and street gang, who has been afforded all due process to pursue relief from removal,” a DHS spokesperson told Newsweek on Friday. “However, he has exhausted all appeals and remains subject to the final order or removal issued in 2021.”
Olivia Abrecht, an attorney on the National Immigrant Justice Center’s (NIJC) Detention Project who is representing Panton, told Newsweek that Friday’s ruling declining Panton’s release or to stay his removal is “deeply disappointing.”
“The government still has the discretion to allow Mr. Panton to remain at home where he can be with his family and receive medical care for ongoing health concerns,” Abrecht said. “We will continue to advocate for those with decision-making power to do the right thing for Mr. Panton and all who would be harmed by his removal.”
Albrecht also told Newsweek that ICE’s claims that Panton failed to “self deport” is inaccurate, saying that he never violated the conditions ICE placed upon his release.
“We have no idea where ICE’s baseless allegation comes from. In years of court proceedings and multiple routine background checks, the government has never made any such allegation in court. They have not even mentioned this in any of their current court filings, which suggests there is nothing to raise.”
Both Albrecht and Panton himself completely reject the claims of his being affiliated to a gang.
“I am not and have never been a member of any gang,” Panton told Newsweek. “I can only imagine that they are confusing me with someone else. If it wasn’t so dangerous that they are saying this, it would be laughable. I have never been accused of that before and never saw this coming. I’ve worked hard to make sure I am someone that young people can look up to.”
Panton, described as a fixture for years in his community, has also been supported by organizations like the NIJC. They have a page on their website dedicated to drawing attention to Panton’s case, dating back to President Joe Biden‘s time in office.
They among others called for Biden to pardon Panton, which never came to fruition.
In an affidavit, Panton claims he came to the U.S. when he was 4 years old from Kingston, Jamaica, as a lawful permanent resident and that basically all of his memories reside in the states. He has three sisters, three adult children and nine U.S. grandchildren. All his sisters are U.S. citizens.
A failed career as a boxer and a serious back injury led him to drug use, Panton wrote. He said he became enveloped in the local drug scene and was tapped to manage a street corner to sell drugs—a job he “forever regrets agreeing to.”
“At the time, drug usage and drug sales were a regular occurrence in my neighborhood in New York,” he wrote. “After my injury, it seemed like I had no other option to make money. I was of course wrong and failed to think about the impact selling drugs would have on so many around me and my future.”
Panton also wrote in his affidavit that while he was in detention, he tried to request certification for a U visa from the NYPD but claims he never got a final decision. A U visa is a nonimmigrant visa designed to protect victims of certain crimes, those who have suffered physical or mental abuse, and those willing to assist law enforcement in the investigation or prosecution of criminal activity.
An ICE agent monitors hundreds of asylum-seekers being processed upon entering the Jacob K. Javits Federal Building on June 6, 2023, in New York City.
David Dee Delgado/Getty Images
What People Are Saying
His son, Dajon Panton, an NYPD officer, in a statement provided to Newsweek: “My dad is my role model. He has overcome a lot in his life, and from that he taught me the importance of public service and caring for your neighbors. He is the reason I pursued a career in law enforcement, for which I am grateful. Since he returned home in 2021, he has been a constant support for many people in Harlem, from youth facing crisis to elders who need maintenance help in the buildings he helps to manage. And yet he has never failed to be present for our own family, especially as my wife and I recently welcomed our first child.”
He added: “He deserves the chance to get to know his granddaughter, and to stay in Harlem where we can support him and make sure he has access to health care as he faces his own medical challenges. Taking my dad away would hurt not just him, not just our family, but a whole community of people who love him and depend on him.”
Nayna Gupta, policy director at the American Immigration Council, told Newsweek on Friday: “The repeated detention and attempted deportation of a long-standing Harlem hero like Robert Panton is another example of the Trump administration’s indiscriminate targeting of long-time residents who contribute richly to their communities.Robert’s deportation would be a disservice to him, his police officer son, his grandchildren, and especially to the hundreds of young people Robert mentors in their hardest moments.”
What Happens Next?
Panton is scheduled for an April 9 court hearing should there be a delay in deportation.
Correction: 04/04/25, 8:51 p.m.: A previous version of this article included an incorrect date for Panton’s drug conviction.
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