密歇根新闻广播 面临驱逐的男子

After serving more than 25 years in prison, Rafael DeJesus had his sentence commuted¹ by former Governor Rick Snyder last year, but now he faces deportation².

DeJesus came to the U.S. from the Dominican Republic when he was 15, and at 22, while he was a legal resident, he was sentenced to 60-100 years for cocaine³ possession with the intent to sell.

Listen to Stateside's conversation with Hillary Scholten, an attorney with the Michigan Immigrant Rights Center, who is representing DeJesus in his deportation case.

Berenice Albright, DeJesus' older sister, spent years trying to get her brother out of prison, saying his sentence was too harsh. Albright created a website to try to get people to re-evaluate her brother's case.

He should have never been sentenced to that many years. He made his mistake, yeah, but he's about to turn 50 and he's been locked away since he was basically a boy, Albright said.

DeJesus enrolled⁴ in the Calvin Prison Initiative three years ago so he could get his associate's degree. (The student newspaper at Calvin broke this story.)

Albright says DeJesus has spent most of his two and a half decades at the Handlon Correctional Facility in Ionia helping⁵ others. He was active in training seeing-eye dogs for the visually impaired⁶, doing conflict resolution programs, and knitting hats for children with cancer.

Todd Cioffi, director of the Calvin Prison Initiative, says DeJesus is the type of person the program was designed to help.

Rafael is exactly what we look for, someone who made a mistake but has been doing everything he can to make the best of his life and the lives of others, Cioffi said.

Then last year, former Governor Rick Snyder commuted his sentence. Before DeJesus' release, however, he was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Hillary Scholten, an attorney with the Michigan Immigrant Rights Center, says DeJesus is not a threat.

Someone always willing to step up and give of themselves and make their community a better place, even in less than ideal circumstances. And that's really what Rafael embodies⁷, Scholten said.

DeJesus is currently is at a Calhoun County detention⁸ center. Scholten says there are few legal moves that could help DeJesus stay in the country. Scholten believes DeJesus’ original sentence was far too harsh.

I won't say he committed a victimless crime, but come on, that type of sentence is insane. There's no way a first time offender⁹ for a non-violent crime should go away for that many years, she said.

Albright says that DeJesus doesn't have any remaining family in the Dominican Republic, so if he is sent back, he will be there on his own.

"Both our parents already passed, so he will be starting from zero if he is sent back. He is only a few credits from getting a degree here and all the work he's been doing in prison was done here. He'd be starting over," Albright said.

ICE did not respond to a request for comment.

1 commuted   

通勤( commute的过去式和过去分词 )； 减（刑）； 代偿

参考例句：

• His sentence was commuted from death to life imprisonment. 他的判决由死刑减为无期徒刑。
• The death sentence may be commuted to life imprisonment. 死刑可能減为无期徒刑。

2 deportation   

n.驱逐，放逐

参考例句：

• The government issued a deportation order against the four men.政府发出了对那4名男子的驱逐令。
• Years ago convicted criminals in England could face deportation to Australia.很多年以前，英国已定罪的犯人可能被驱逐到澳大利亚。

3 cocaine   

n.可卡因，古柯碱（用作局部麻醉剂）

参考例句：

• That young man is a cocaine addict.那个年轻人吸食可卡因成瘾。
• Don't have cocaine abusively.不可滥服古柯碱。

4 enrolled   

adj.入学登记了的v.[亦作enrol]( enroll的过去式和过去分词 )；登记，招收，使入伍（或入会、入学等），参加，成为成员；记入名册；卷起，包起

参考例句：

• They have been studying hard from the moment they enrolled. 从入学时起，他们就一直努力学习。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He enrolled with an employment agency for a teaching position. 他在职业介绍所登了记以谋求一个教师的职位。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

6 impaired   

adj.受损的；出毛病的；有（身体或智力）缺陷的v.损害，削弱( impair的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Much reading has impaired his vision. 大量读书损害了他的视力。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• His hearing is somewhat impaired. 他的听觉已受到一定程度的损害。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

7 embodies   

v.表现( embody的第三人称单数 )；象征；包括；包含

参考例句：

• The new treaty embodies the aspirations of most nonaligned countries. 新条约体现了大多数不结盟国家的愿望。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• This document embodies the concern of the government for the deformity. 这个文件体现了政府对残疾人的关怀。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

8 detention   

n.滞留，停留；拘留，扣留；(教育)留下

参考例句：

• He was kept in detention by the police.他被警察扣留了。
• He was in detention in connection with the bribery affair.他因与贿赂事件有牵连而被拘留了。

9 offender   

n.冒犯者，违反者，犯罪者

参考例句：

• They all sued out a pardon for an offender.他们请求法院赦免一名罪犯。
• The authorities often know that sex offenders will attack again when they are released.当局一般都知道性犯罪者在获释后往往会再次犯案。