In a blistering statement released Monday, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) condemned California Governor Gavin Newsom for pardoning Somboon Phaymany, a Cambodian national and illegal alien convicted of attempted murder and assault with a firearm — crimes that stripped him of his green card and triggered a final order of removal.
ABSOLUTE INSANITY.
Gavin Newsom pardoned an illegal alien convicted of ATTEMPTED MURDER.
Somboon Phaymany lost his green card following his conviction for attempted murder and assault with a firearm. Following the conviction, he was placed in removal proceedings and issued a… pic.twitter.com/4q6SNHlIAp
— Homeland Security (@DHSgov) February 23, 2026
DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin did not mince words: “Governor Newsom pardoning an illegal alien convicted of attempted murder, so he can remain in our country, is absolute INSANITY. These are the criminal illegal aliens he and his sanctuary politicians are protecting. He is putting the lives of all Americans at risk.”
Phaymany, who entered the U.S. legally but lost his green card after his convictions, was sentenced in 1997 in San Diego to 14 years to life for 10 counts of premeditated attempted murder, assault with a semi-automatic firearm, assault with a firearm, and conspiracy to commit assault with a firearm. The crimes stemmed from a gang-related drive-by shooting when he was 19. An immigration judge issued a final removal order against him in 2019.
Newsom’s pardon erases those qualifying convictions for immigration purposes, allowing Phaymany to reopen proceedings and remain in California communities rather than face deportation by ICE.
This is not an isolated incident. As the California Globe previously reported in February, DHS and ICE urged Newsom and Attorney General Rob Bonta to honor more than 33,000 active ICE detainers for criminal illegal aliens in California custody — a direct plea to stop the revolving door of releases that endangers public safety.
Since January 2026, sanctuary policies under Newsom have led to the release of 4,561 criminal illegal aliens into California communities, including individuals with convictions or charges for 31 homicides, 661 assaults, and hundreds of other violent and serious offenses, according to DHS data.
This pardon fits a disturbing pattern of California’s obstruction of federal immigration enforcement. In December 2025, DHS launched its “Worst of the Worst” webpage highlighting criminal aliens arrested by ICE, with California accounting for thousands of entries.
Just last week, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass escalated the standoff by banning ICE from staging operations on city property.
Federal courts continue to push back against California’s anti-enforcement agenda: A federal judge issued a preliminary injunction against the state’s discriminatory mask ban on federal agents, and the Ninth Circuit blocked the state’s entire “No Secret Police Act” in major victories for the Trump DOJ.
DHS’s statement underscores what Californians have long known: Newsom’s sanctuary state policies prioritize criminal illegal aliens over law-abiding residents. With President Trump and DHS Secretary Kristi Noem ramping up enforcement, this pardon is yet another example of Sacramento Democrats choosing chaos over safety.
