www.pardons.org

Are you thinking of traveling to the Caribbean or South America and you have a criminal record?  With the new US Security rules, you may be in for a problem.

According to the following recent Globe and Mail article, the Americans want Canadian airlines traveling over US airspace to report the details of the passengers even though the passengers are not stepping foot on US soil.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/us-security-rules-would-break-privacy-laws-canadian-airlines-contend/article1416718/

Therefore, if an airplane is forced to land in the US, the DHS (Department of Homeland Security) can deny you entry to the US if you have a criminal record and send you back to Canada.

Once DHS knows about your criminal record, you will be in their system for life, and you will require a US Entry Waiver or I-194 to re-enter the US.  The application for this waiver is costly and time consuming.  At Pardons Canada, we have been helping Canadians obtain US Entry Waivers (I-194) for over 20 years.

If you plan on flying south, even if you are not going to the US, you should consider taking steps to remove your criminal charges with a Pardon or File Destruction before traveling.  Once the charges are removed, you should be safe to travel without the need for a US Entry Waiver or I-194.

If you have any questions regarding this topic or about Pardons and US Entry Waivers email us at info@pardons.org or call 1-877-929-6011.

www.pardons.org

The recent incident with the Nigerian bomber in Detroit has raised US concerns about security at their border crossings.  As a result, they have become stricter about doing criminal record checks on any foreigner who enters the US.

If you have a criminal record, the DHS (Department of Homeland Security) can deny you entry at the US Border.  If they do so, you will require an I-194 or US Entry Waiver to re-enter the US.  This application is a long and complicated process and can be costly.

If you have a criminal record, and that includes if you have been fingerprinted by the police but the charges were later dismissed, withdrawn, stayed or absolute and conditional discharge, you can apply for a Pardon or File Destruction.  If you complete this process before the Americans stop you at the US border, you may be safe to cross the border without the need for a US Entry Waiver or I-194.

Its true, the Americans do not recognize Pardons in Canada, and they will tell you that fact whenever they possibly can.  However, if you already have a Pardon, they may not be able to see the charges once they are removed, it depends on the file.

If you have any questions regarding this topic or about Pardons and US Entry Waivers email us at info@pardons.org or call 1-877-929-6011.

www.pardons.org

Every day we help many Canadians to obtain a Canada Pardon or US Entry Waiver (I-194) so that they will be free of the burden of carrying a criminal record in their lives.

Having a criminal record can carry a lot of shame and embarassment for many people for a long time in their life.  They continue to suffer from something wrong they did in their past.  This suffering can come in the form of depression, shame, guilt, embarassment, remorse to name a few.  Also, a criminal record can affect your ability to get a job or travel to the US.

We receive many letters from clients who we have helped to obtain a Canada Pardon and they often express their tremendous emotional relief from the experience.

Here is a letter that really explains the shame some people feel by having a criminal record:

“I felt crippled by the same of my incarceration which prevented me from daring to utter an objecting voice or opinion to my colleagues.”

“I cannot begin to describe how shame can cripple you and turn you deaf, dumb and blind.”

“For years after my incarceration, I refused visits from all but my immediate family and lawyers.”

“I wrote no letters home and dreaded receiving mail.  I felt great shame when the world outside sneaked into my prison inside, shame for being a common criminal and so I forfeited my voice, lest anyone hear it, recognize my unworthiness and hold me up to further public scrutiny.”

“To me, social separation from society has been much more torturous than the physical conditions imposed by my exile.”

“So there I was in a prison that afforded me adequate shelter and food, provided me with other amenities, wallowing in shame while fearing for my life.”

“Fear and shame dominated my day to day existence for the first few years of incarceration, and I thought and did little else during that time besides trying to survive and remaining anonymous.”

If you have any questions regarding this topic or about Pardons and US Entry Waivers email us at info@pardons.org or call 1-877-929-6011.

U.S. sends 12 Guantanamo detainees to home countries

Twelve inmates have been transferred from the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, to Afghanistan, Yemen and the breakaway Somali enclave of Somaliland, the U.S. Justice Department said on Sunday.

Six Yemeni and four Afghan detainees were sent over the weekend to their home countries while two Somalis were transferred to regional authorities in Somaliland, an self-governing region within Somalia, the department said.

The transfers are the latest from the controversial prison President Barack Obama has pledged to close next month, but that deadline will likely be missed because of diplomatic and political hurdles…

What a wonderful gift to terrorists everywhere all around the world. Just in time for the holidays!

Here is another story of a terrorist Obama sent home to Afghanistan:

Mohammed Jawad was accused of throwing a grenade that injured two U.S. soldiers and their interpreter in Kabul in 2002. Jawad, one of the youngest prisoners held at the facility, was now with his family in Kabul, according to his lawyer Air Force Major David Frakt.
Mr. Jawad was seen by an Afghan policeman throwing the grenade at the US soldiers, killing one and wounding another and their interpreter.
Mr. Jawad’s partner was grabbed while in the process of throwing another grenade.
And, Mr. Jawad had two more grenades on his person at the time of his arrest.
Lastly, as we have also already noted, Mr. Jawad confessed to his crimes at least twice – once to the Afghan police and then to the US authorities.
There has been no suggestion that the Americans tortured him.
But never mind all of that.
One of the themes of the Obama regime seems to be ‘guilty as hell, free as a bird.’
Of course this is exactly what one should expect from a Justice Department headed by someone (Eric Holder) whose law firm defended Guantanamo Detainees

Now this man, Jawad, is suing the U.S. Government and he is being backed by Afghan President Karzai!

RWD

The Justice Department’s pardon attorney, Ronald L. Rodgers, said the department, as a policy, does not process pardons for dead people.  But Sen. John McCain of Arizona and Rep. Peter King of New York, both Republicans, were sending a new letter to the president Wednesday, Trying once again to pardon former heavyweight champion of the wrold Jack Johnson.  Both houses of Congress passed resolutions this year urging a presidential pardon for Johnson, who became the first black heavyweight champion in 1908 — 100 years before Obama was elected the first black president.

Johnson’s victory led to a search for a “Great White Hope” who could beat him. Two years later, Jim Jeffries, the American world titleholder Johnson had tried for years to fight, came out of retirement but lost in a match called “The Battle of the Century,” resulting in deadly riots.  In 1913, Johnson was convicted of violating the Mann Act, which made it illegal to transport women across state lines for immoral purposes. After his conviction, he fled the country, but agreed years later to return and serve a 10-month jail sentence.

“Mr. Johnson’s conviction was motivated by nothing more than the color of his skin,” McCain and King wrote. “As such, it not only injured his family, but also our nation as a whole.”  When he unveiled the resolution in April, McCain said he was sure that Obama “will be more than eager” to issue the pardon.

www.pardons.org

There are many immigrants in Canada who wish to obtain their Canadian citizenship.  For those who have been charged with a criminal offence, even if the criminal charge was dismissed, stayed, withdrawn or absolute or conditional discharge, they could be prevented from obtaining Canadian citizenship.

The good news is that once a Canada Pardon is granted, the criminal charge will no longer be in the way of obtaining Canadian citizenship.

Here is a letter we received from a person we helped to obtain a Canada Pardon for a domestic assault charge:

“I’m sending you this letter to express my sincere gratitude to your organization for helping me remove the burden of a mistake I made many years ago.”

“Throughout the years, I have always had my criminal record burn the back of my mind.  This did not only plague my mind but it also prevented me from becoming a Canadian citizen.  This has been a desire for myself for many years as Canada has been my home and place of residence for over thirty years.”

“My hopes for becoming a Canadian citizen had been put on hold for many years.  I felt so frustrated at myself as I did not think it financially feasible to hire a lawyer to expedite the removal of my criminal record.”

“I take pride in serving as a good role model for my children and now grandchildren.  Having a criminal record brings a sense of shame and tarnishes your self worth in many ways.”

“Thank you Pardons Canada for helping me get a second chance in life.”

If you have any questions regarding this topic or about Pardons and US Entry Waivers email us at info@pardons.org or call 1-877-929-6011.

Walk away… Just walk away VERY VERY SLOWLY.

(Barack Obama and the annual turkey pardon)

This one didn’t make it. (Via I Can Has Cheezburger)

Picture by: UPI/Roger L. Wollenberg Caption by: dunno source via Advanced Lol Builder

» Recaption This!

» View All Captions

www.pardons.org

We often receive calls from people who are depressed that their criminal record is getting in the way of finding a better job or impinging on their freedom to travel.

Many times, the criminal charges are old but are still haunting the individual in many psychological and emotional ways.  This is unfortunate, because if they have been out of trouble for the required time, they are eligible for a Canada Pardon which will effectively remove the criminal charges from public record.

Each week we receive many thank you letters explaining how the Pardon has changed the persons life for the better.  Here is an example of a letter from someone we helped to get a Pardon for a DUI:

“Firstly I would like to extend my sincere gratitude and thanks for awarding me a Canada Pardon.  I am truly sorry for my actions in the past.”

“I will cherish my freedom for the rest of my life.”

“Receiving this pardon has restored my self confidence and self esteem and for that I am thankful.”

“I will now be able to take part in all of my son’s school activities and his field trips.  Also, I will travel with my fiance to the places I only dreamed I would visit.  This is one of the best feelings I have ever felt.”

If you have any questions regarding this topic or about Pardons and US Entry Waivers email us at info@pardons.org or call 1-877-929-6011.

www.pardons.org

Each day we speak to people with a criminal record who are seeking to receive a Canada Pardon.  We are told many times that having a criminal record can carry a terrible stigma for a long time.  If you live in a small community the problem of having a criminal record, no matter how old, can be even worse.

Even if the criminal charge was later withdrawn, dismissed, stayed, absolute or conditional discharged, the criminal record still exists.

Here is a letter we recently received from a client who we helped to get a file destruction for a domestic assault charge that was later withdrawn:

“I received your letter today advising that my Canada Pardon has been completed with the detruction of my photographs and fingerprints and the purging of them from the local police records.”

“I would like to take this opportunity to express my gratitude for the service you provide.  This pardon will enable me to once again participate in volunteer work.  I had stopped participating after I was charged as I did not wish to reveal my shame to anyone.”

“Afraid of the stigma attached to a criminal charge, even though it had been resolved prior to court, I was also afraid of becoming the source of common gossip in the small community in which I lived at the time.”

“Thankfully, once again I can participate in volunteerism and begin to enjoy the sense of fulfullment that comes from giving of oneself.”

If you have any questions regarding this topic or about Pardons and US Entry Waivers email us at info@pardons.org or call 1-877-929-6011.

“A distant US relative of Dr Hawley Crippen, executed in London in 1910 for murdering his wife, has failed … to secure a posthumous pardon for him.”

Full story

BBC News, 7th December 2009

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

www.pardons.org

We receive many calls from people with a criminal record who are living in Canada but do not yet have their Canadian Citizenship.  They either have no status, refugee status or permanent residence.  Often they are living in Canada because they have family here or they are seeking to have a better life for themselves.

It is important that if you are in this situation, where you have a criminal record or charged with a criminal offence, you need to obtain a Pardon so that you will be safe for immigration purposes.  Even if you start the process, you can prove that you have taken the responsibility to get this DONE.

If you have been deported from Canada, we can still help you obtain a Canada Pardon so that you will be safe to return to Canada in the future.

Here is a letter from a client who we recently helped to get a Canada Pardon for various drug charges:

“I want to acknowledge Pardons Canada for their quick and efficient manner that they dealt with my pardon.”

“Four years ago, I was deported from Canada due to some very poor choices.  I realize that what I did at that time was extremely dumb.  I was separated from the love of my life and the country that I wanted to make my home.”

“I have since married the love of my life and she lives in Canada.  This will now give me the opportunity to be with her and to build a life for the two of us.”

“I want to develop a career for myself and eventually have a family.  NOW this is all possible.”

“I cannot take back the poor choices I made many years ago but I can now take this opportunity to become the person and provider I have always wanted to be.”

“Thank you Pardons Canada for giving me my life back.”

If you have any questions regarding this topic or about Pardons and US Entry Waivers email us at info@pardons.org or call 1-877-929-6011.

Complaint regarding Huckabee’s release of numerous criminals:

Huckabee’s sincere and considerate response:

I like Mike Huckabee. Who wouldn’t like that big goofy Gomer Pyle grin and affable manner? He’s just got to be a nice guy. But as a Christian conservative he is also an enormous embarrassment.

During his two terms as governor of Arkansas, Huckabee plowed a long and abysmal row of pardons and commutations—more than his three predecessors combined—and, yet again, one has come back to haunt, not only him, but us. In Bill Clinton’s time as governor in that state he used his pardon privilege only 17 times; Huckabee pardoned commuted that many murderers alone. In his 10-year tenure the governor commuted or pardoned an astonishing 1033 felons.

Compassionate conservatism strikes again on the Salvation Highway, and we witness yet another head-on collision between reconciliation and pardon. When will we learn that forgiveness and pardon are not one and the same thing?

In the wake of this week’s horrifying police slayings in Washington State, the New York Times headlines might as well read “Stupid Christian Commuted Cop Killer,” and one could hardly blame them. Would that bad headlines were the only ramifications of Huckabee’s misguided leniency. His 1997 pardon of rapist Wayne DuMond led to at least one more rape-murder, and probably two, before the felon was returned to prison. In his later years as governor Arkansas prosecutors actually sued to prevent the former Southern Baptist preacher from pardoning another first-degree murderer.

It’s time to forgive Bill Clinton for pardoning Marc Rich, and Mike Dukakis for letting Willie Horton out to brutally rape a young woman. How can conservatives possibly excoriate them when we have a Mike Huckabee on the loose? Michelle Malkin is right in suggesting that Maurice Clemmons should be the former presidential candidate’s Horton. Huckabee’s lamebrain Michael Moore-style Christianity is silly—that’s right, silly—in any conservative.

The governor’s skewed thinking on forgiveness is not isolated in the Church; contrarily it is becoming epidemic. During the 1998 Karla Faye Tucker debate, so-called Christian conservatives came out of the woodwork, protesting, not only Tucker’s, but all execution as wrong. For the record, I supported Tucker’s commutation to life without parole, but never in my wildest attack of liberal thinking did I want her released.

When a jury set O.J. Simpson free, society had no recourse but to accept that verdict. Yet when another jury slapped a 108-year sentence on Maurice Clemmons, Huckabee commuted the sentence, allowing him a parole date. Clemmons had a bad record while in prison and was generally known as an incorrigible, which is why he received the century-long sentence to begin with.

Look, I understand that local and national politics are in play here. Huck’s enemies, both the old ones from Arkansas, and others seeking to put a deathblow to his presidential aspirations, are ganging up. Let me say that I think Mike is a fine, principled man. In comparison to Bill Clinton’s shameless pardons of shady friends while in the White House, Huckabee’s record seems well intentioned. I can’t find anything that demonstrates his actions were politically motivated or in any way unethical. However, they indicate bizarre bleeding-heart lefto thinking in a man who otherwise claims conservative values. At the very least, his judgment was flawed in commuting so many sentences; sooner or later one or more was bound to come back to his doorstep.

Mike Huckabee I am sure by now regrets his mistake and will live with it forever, a heavy cross to bear, but while to forgive may be divine, pardon is best left to God.

What do Massachusetts Governor Michael Dukakis and Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee have in common?  Policies that come back to bite their ass.  All good intentions aside, any attempt to grant “Second Chance” to convicted felons is ‘Russian Roulette” at best and guaranteed political suicide, always. The touchy feely era is over in this country. Mental illness and felonies are closely related. The economy, the wars, the increased polarization of opinions have brought even more mental illness to the surface.  Denial of mental problems should no longer be tolerated.  The mental health industry needs a serious boost to deal with the mental deterioration plaguing this country.  Maurice Clemmons was a mentally unstable felon.  Where was his follow up?  Where was his parole officer? Where was the mental health infrastructure that could have defused this violent explosion?  This slaughter, as are the recent slaughters, are warning flags being waved by a society devolving.  Frustration morphing into violence and a health system that picks and chooses who to treat.

In wake of Wash. shootings, Huckabee facing hard questions about parole record

The shooting deaths Sunday of four police officers in a Tacoma, Wash., suburb and the ensuing manhunt for the suspect have renewed scrutiny of the pardon record of former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee (R), who commuted the accused gunman’s prison term nine years ago, leading to his release.

During his 2008 presidential campaign, he faced similar questions over the release from prison of a convicted rapist named Wayne DuMond, who was convicted of another rape and murder.

Huckabee is one of the Republican Party’s most popular figures, but he has been dogged by questions over the more than 1,000 commutations and pardons he issued — more than his three predecessors combined — during his 10-year tenure.

Maurice Clemmons, man wanted for questioning, has troubling criminal history

Maurice Clemmons, the 37-year-old Tacoma man being sought for questioning in the killing this morning of four Lakewood police officers, has a long criminal record punctuated by violence, erratic behavior and concerns about his mental health.

Nine years ago, then-Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee granted clemency to Clemmons, commuting his lengthy prison sentence over the protests of prosecutors.

Suspect in cop-killings eludes police dragnet

The manhunt came as authorities in two states took heat for the fact that Clemmons was allowed to walk the streets despite a teenage crime spree in Arkansas that landed him a 95-year prison sentence. He was released in 2000 after then-Gov. Mike Huckabee commuted his sentence.

“This guy should have never been on the street,” said Brian D. Wurts, president of the police union in Lakewood, where all four slain officers worked. “Our elected officials need to find out why these people are out.”

Republicans pounded Dukakis, claiming he had let Horton loose to ‘terrorize innocent people’ and continued support of the furlough program.

What will Democrats do about Huckabee? December 2007 LA Times CAMPAIGN ‘08:

Parole officials: Huckabee pushed rapist’s release – Former Arkansas governor says he didn’t free the man who later killed at least one woman, but board members say they felt pressured.

FOR THE RECORD:
Freed rapist: A photo caption with an article in Saturday’s Section A about Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee’s involvement with the case of rapist Wayne DuMond while Huckabee was governor of Arkansas said DuMond suffocated a mother of six after he was released. The victim was a mother of three. —

Mike Huckabee’s Willie Horton? Political commentary from Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist Cynthia Tucker of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Huckabee’s ‘Willie Horton moment’ By Yael T. Abouhalkah, Kansas City Star Editorial Page columnist

After all the finger pointing and hand wringing is over, will there be any serious attempt to address the epidemic of depression, PTSD, bi-polar disorder, and general paranoia?  With the approach of 2012 there will be an entire population that overtly and covertly embraces the ‘end of times’ phenomenon.  Media hype, documentaries and motion pictures are all making a fortune describing every possible disaster scenario that surrounds 2012.  A lot of people are beginning to take it seriously.  Looking at annihilation gives some people a free ticket to act out their darkest fantasies.  This meltdown must be taken seriously, because we are watching it happen right now.  The ‘what the hell’ attitude will grab a lot of people and let them do things they would never have dreamed of in an accountable society.

Huckabee on Clemmons

In a statement this evening, Mike Huckabee distanced himself from the release of Maurice Clemmons, a subject of investigation in the murder of four police officer in Washington State:

Michelle Malkin: Violent felon granted clemency by Huckabee now sought in Lakewood, WA police ambush; Update: Huck PAC posts statement; Update: Search continues; how Clemmons played Arkansas; Update: Huck whitewashes on O’Reilly (and vice versa)

 

Seattle Police search for Maurice Clemmons 11/29/09; Clemmons and Mike Huckabee (inset).

How Clemmons Went From Prisoner To Alleged Cop Killer — And Why It Matters For Mike Huckabee

TPM Muckraker

Justin Elliott | November 30, 2009, 5:17PM

How did Maurice Clemmons, once sentenced to 100 years in prison in Arkansas, end up a free man and the prime suspect in the grisly killing of four Seattle area police officers Sunday?

Clemmons’ story begins with a teenage crime spree, winds through his years as a young man spent behind bars and the commutation of his life sentence by Mike Huckabee, continues with more years in and out of prison and the degeneration of his mental state, and finally leaves off today with a massive search for a man police describe as armed and dangerous.

The story carries potentially big political ramifications for possible presidential contender Huckabee, who is now trying to deflect criticism of the commutation to the state parole board. That’s in part because Huckabee’s effort to downplay his role in the Clemmons commutation echoes his response in the case of another Arkansas parolee who went on to commit a gruesome crime.

A May 1989 incident in which Clemmons, then 17, was caught with a gun at a Little Rock school appears to have been his first run in with the police. The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette quoted him telling police that he had the gun because he had “been chased and beaten by dopers, and if they got after him again he had something for them” (via Nexis).

Starting almost immediately after his expulsion from school for the gun incident, Clemmons took part in a series burglaries that landed him in prison. In one late-night incident, a middle-aged woman was hit in the face and Clemmons and other teen snatched her purse. He made the news again when he hid a 10-inch metal bar in his sock before a pretrial hearing, and once again when a padlock he threw at a bailiff hit Clemmons’ own mother.

For these and other crimes, the young Clemmons received in 1989-90 remarkably harsh — arguably excessive — sentences adding up to 108 years, by the Arkansas Times‘ count.

By the time then-governor Huckabee was mulling a plea for clemency in 2000, Clemmons had spent roughly a decade behind the bars, and he pledged he was a changed man. As governor, Huckabee granted pardons and commutations much more than most. According to ABC, many believed it was a religious issue for Huckabee, a Baptist minister.

Thus it made strategic sense that Clemmons stressed his faith in a letter (.pdf) to Huckabee, obtained by the Seattle Times:

Clemmons said he came from “a very good Christian family” and “was raised much better than my actions speak (I’m still ashamed to this day for the shame my stupid involvement in these crimes brought to my family name.),” he wrote.”Where once stood a young (16) year old misguided fool, who’s (sic) own life he was unable to rule. Now stands a 27 year old man, who has learned through ‘the school of hard knocks’ to appreciate and respect the rights of others. And who has in the midst of the harsh reality of prison life developed the necessary skills to stand along (sic) and not follow a multitude of do evil, as I did as a 16 year old child.”

Clemmons added that his mother had recently died without seeing him turn his life around and that he prayed Huckabee would show compassion by releasing him.

In May 2000, citing Clemmons’ youth at the time of his crimes, Huckabee commuted the sentence to 47 years, making Clemmons eligible for parole. The board granted parole in July and Clemmons was released in August, but a year later he was back in prison for another Arkansas robbery. He got a 10-year sentence but in 2004 Clemmons was paroled again. He soon moved to Washington State.

>>>PAROLE DOCS AND MORE HERE<<<

*allegedly bla, bla, bla.

Compassionate Conservatism just jumped the shark.  Seattle and Lakewood police believe suspect Maurice Clemmons, is the same Maurice Clemmons who’s sentence Governor Mike Huckabee commuted in 2000.  The commutation made him immediately eligible for parole, and he was released later that year.  Without that commutation he wouldn’t have been eligible until 2015.  Any idiot can then deduce if he was in an Arkansas penitentiary yesterday Greg Richards, Mark Renninger, Ronald Owens and Tina Griswold would still be alive, and their 9 children collectively, wouldn’t be devastated in ways they will never fully recover from.  The blame for this act clearly falls on the shooter, but Huckabee has some accounting to do too.  And he’s not doing it.

As a law enforcement family that lives in Washington state we were obviously horrified when we heard about the ambush yesterday, just as we were horrified to learn about drive-by shooting that killed a Seattle police officer on Halloween.  Sadly, we get used to hearing about law enforcement deaths in the midst of an altercation, a traffic stop for example.  But these were both situations where some bastard decided to literally go cop-hunting.  Forgive me if that makes me a little irrational, and downright pissed off.

The horror of the crime itself is bad enough (and I will get to properly honoring the fallen in my next post), but when the news broke last night that Clemmons was one of Huckabee’s infamous pardons I wanted to wretch.  Obviously, I disagreed with the pardons, and that was one reason I couldn’t support him in the primary, but I do believe he’s generally a good man.  And in that moment I felt for him as well as the victims.  I was prepared to defend him.  I assumed he would be guilt ridden and devastated.  If he is he’s not showing it. 

 He doesn’t even acknowledge the elephant in the room, that HE issued the original pardon that made this crime possible.  His Huckabee Report (one of those stupid radio minute, morning drive things) is a reiteration of that non-statement.

He admitted granting these pardons was based in his Christian faith.  He invoked compassion.  What about confession, repentance and accountability?  What about reading the Old Testament AND the New one?  How about not being a giant wussball politician not fit to pour Tina Griswold a cup of coffee?  We just want Huck to accept his responsibility in this.  We’re waiting.

Maurice Clemmons, the “person of interest” being sought in the shootings in Lakewood, Washington, this weekend, is not the first violent offender pardoned by then Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee, to return to a life of crime.  Clemmons has forever destroyed the lives of four families when he should have been in jail right here in Arkansas. 

Two years ago, Mark Taylor and I wrote an article for Family Security Matters titled “Golden Words from a Silver-Tongued Salesman”, which details Huckabee’s many bad decisions as governor, including pardoning such violent criminals as Clemmons and others.

Read the full article HERE

www.pardons.org

Each day we receive calls from Canadians who wish to enter the US for any number of reasons including:

Visiting family
Business meeting or conference
Sports or entertainment event
Disney with children
Cruise or leisure travel
Educational purposes (seminar, school)
Work training

If you have a criminal record in Canada, you may be refused entry at the US Border.

If you are refused entry at the US border, you will require a US Entry Waiver or I-194 to re-enter the United States.

If you have been questioned at the US Border, but the customs agent let you in, you may not require a US Entry Waiver.  Every file is different and often it depends on the mood of the customs agent.  However, if you have been questioned by a US customs officer and then let in, you will need the right documents in order to cross the border next time without being hassled.

If you have a criminal record but have NEVER been refused entry to the US, you may not require a US Entry Waiver or I-194.  However, you will require a Pardon or File Destruction first to remove your criminal charges, then you may be safe to enter the US depending on the severity of your criminal charges.

We receive many calls from Canadians who want to be safe to travel to the US without the worry of being turned away at the US border.  Often, they have never been refused or have never gone to the US, but fear that their criminal record will automatically mean they cannot enter.

The same also applies to people who have been charged with a criminal record but have not been convicted.  This includes criminal charges that have been dismissed, stayed, withdrawn, absolute or conditional discharged.

It is important for you to understand your options before making an application that may or may not be necessary in your specific case.

If you have any questions regarding this topic or about Pardons and US Entry Waivers email us at info@pardons.org or call 1-877-929-6011.