Newsom Pardon Allows Illegal Immigrant to Remain in U.S. Despite Attempted Murder Conviction

California Governor Gavin Newsom pardoned an illegal immigrant who was convicted of attempted murder, along with various other charges, allowing the offender to remain in the U.S. while his immigration case is adjudicated.

Somboon Phaymany, an illegal immigrant from Cambodia, held a green card until he was convicted in 1997 of ten counts of attempted murder, 18 counts of assault with a firearm, assault with a semiautomatic firearm, and three counts of conspiracy to commit assault. The state ultimately dropped two of the conspiracy charges, but his convictions earned him a sentence of two life sentences with the possibility of parole, plus two years.

In March 1996, when Phaymany was 19 years old, he was involved in a drive-by shooting between rival gangs. He was in the passenger seat of the car and admitted to bringing a gun with him, but said he had no intention of participating.

The drive-by was deemed gang-on-gang violence, between the Oriental Boy Soldiers gang, with whom Phaymany was associated, and a rival gang, the Oriental Killer Boys.

Phaymany was apprehended by Immigration and Customs Enforcement in 2018 and sent to Adelanto Detention Center in California. He was issued a final order of removal by a judge in 2019.

Regardless of Phaymany's prior criminal history, Newsom's pardon now allows him to reopen his immigration proceedings and remain in California, according to the Department of Homeland Security.

"Governor Newsom pardoning an illegal alien convicted of attempted murder, so he can remain in our country, is absolute INSANITY," Assistant DHS Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement. "These are the criminal illegal aliens he and his sanctuary politicians are protecting. He is putting the lives of all Americans at risk."

In December 2025, Newsom pardoned Phaymany, citing "evidence that he is living an upright life and has demonstrated his fitness for restoration of civic rights and responsibilities."

"Gavin Newsom’s pardon took away this attempted murderer’s qualifying convictions that made him removable from the U.S.," McLaughlin said.

National Review reached out to the governor's office for comment, but did not receive a response by the time of publication.

Earlier this month, the Trump administration sent a letter to Newsom and Attorney General Rob Bonta, urging California to comply with immigration enforcement and detainers.

California, which has been a sanctuary state since 2018, generally prohibits state and local authorities from asking people's immigration status or working with federal immigration authorities to detain and remove illegal immigrants.

In the past year, more than 4,500 illegal immigrants with criminal backgrounds have been released back into California, DHS claims. Offenses include "31 homicides, 661 assaults, 574 burglaries, 184 robberies, 1,489 dangerous drugs offenses, 379 weapons offenses, and 234 sexual predatory offenses," according to DHS.