Walz asks ICE to stop deportation of woman who sought pardon

MINNEAPOLIS – Gov. Tim Walz is asking officials with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to stop deportation proceedings for a woman he says will be in grave danger if she is returned to her native Ethiopia.

Amreya Shefa was convicted of manslaughter for fatally stabbing her husband in 2013 in an act that she described as self-defense after she said he held her prisoner in her home and repeatedly raped her.

Shefa sought a pardon, which Walz supported, but it was not granted. Now, Walz is asking ICE to “administratively close” removal proceedings while officials consider her applications for nonimmigrant status for crime victims.

A spokesperson for ICE declined to comment.