A Jamaican-born Harlem resident who has lived in the United States for more than 50 years was detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on Tuesday during a routine check-in at an ICE field office in New York City.
Robert Panton, 59, now faces deportation to Jamaica, a country he left as a child, due to a decades-old criminal conviction. ICE’s decision to take him into custody follows four years of discretion in his favor, despite his deep ties to Harlem and ongoing medical concerns. The National Immigrant Justice Center (NIJC) has filed a stay of removal and a habeas corpus petition in an effort to prevent his deportation.
“They’ll hopefully look at the role I’m playing in my community and that detainment is not an option for me. If things go wrong, it would be a gross injustice and can be reversed at any time by the administration that’s in power right now,” Panton said in a statement before his check-in. “There is a process where they say is someone better for the United States or not when they make these considerations. I hope they consider my community efforts trying to help youth stay out of issues that get them in trouble that they can’t get out of. I appreciate all my supporters and all the people who fight for not only due process but the proper consideration of being in this country.”
Panton’s detention has drawn sharp criticism from his family and supporters.
“I am a U.S. citizen and Robert Panton’s youngest son. I am a New York City Police Officer. My dad is my role model,” said Mr. Panton’s son, Dajon Panton, an officer in the New York City Police Department. “My wife and I recently had our first child, Olivia. My father was at the hospital when Olivia was born and he has been a constant presence in her life ever since. I am very scared for my dad’s health if he is deported. He needs to stay in New York with his family and his doctors. We need him.”
“I just stood by as my life partner Robert Panton was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement,” said Sheila Davis Dodson, Panton’s life partner. “Robert’s home is in Harlem and we need him here with us now more than ever. He works every day to make Harlem a safer place by mentoring our youth. I truly cannot understand why ICE has decided to take him from us today, when Robert has done everything they have asked of him for years now. It’s not right.”
“Removing Mr. Panton from his Harlem community, where he has been a lifeline to neighborhood youth who are in crisis, a family who loves and needs him, and access to medical care for chronic and debilitating pain, would be unconscionable and have harmful repercussions across an entire New York community,” said NIJC attorney Olivia Abrecht, who represents Panton in his immigration case.
Background on Panton’s case
Panton served 30 years in prison for a drug conviction stemming from the U.S. government’s crackdown on narcotics in the late 20th century. A federal judge granted his release in August 2020. Under current sentencing guidelines, the same offense would likely result in a significantly shorter prison term of about six years.
Since his release, Panton has been actively involved in community outreach in Harlem. He launched the Too Young to Die campaign, working with local youth organizations to provide mentorship and support. He has also collaborated with community groups to run summer programs for at-risk youth. His case has drawn support from members of Congress, Harlem leaders, and more than 70 New York and national organizations, who backed an unsuccessful presidential pardon request during the Biden administration.
