Detained by ICE for 100 days, Fresno man asks Gov. Newsom to pardon old crime
After more than 100 days in an immigration detention center, a Fresno man says he awaits a trial date and has asked Gov. Gavin Newsom to grant him a pardon in a desperate effort to return to his family.
Psalm Behpoor, a popular manager for Pismo’s Coastal Grill in north Fresno, said he recently was denied release after a 90-day review, and submitted his formal request to the governor.
Friday marked Behpoor’s 103rd day in the Mesa Verde ICE Processing Center in Bakersfield.
“I have a home to go to. I have a job to return to. I’ve done everything,” the 42-year-old said in a phone interview. “Actually after this, I want to be even better. I want to be more righteous when I get out and be a better person. Because this is like, this is crazy.”
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested Behpoor on June 23, he said. ICE has not returned requests for comment from The Bee.
Behpoor was arrested in 2002 for a burglary that he has described as a “stupid” and regretful crime he committed shortly after turning 18. It’s a crime that has come back to haunt him despite his efforts to be a better person and maintain a family.
Behpoor began an effort to reinstate his green card before the Trump administration took office, he said..
He said he was punished for his crime as a youth — which included about two years of wearing an ankle monitor and making regular check-ins with a parole officer — but it was used as part of the denial for his release from detention.
Behpoor came to the U.S. at age 3 with his family as they fled Iran a few years after the Iranian Revolution because they feared for their safety. It’s for that reason that he can’t by law be deported to Iran.
At home awaiting Behpoor are his wife, Lera Mirakyan, and 3-year-old son, Psalm Wally. They are both citizens living in the home they own in Fresno.
“I’m here stuck in detention when I could be home and continue working, paying taxes, providing for my family and to be a father, a present father and husband,” he said. “I just don’t understand the administration.”
A pardon from Gov. Gavin Newsom
He said he struggles with the logic of detaining him because he believes he’s proven to be able to contribute to society. He awaits a court date to appear before an immigration judge.
The governor’s office did not immediately comment on the status of the request for a pardon.
Getting a pardon could be helpful for Behpoor’s case but by no means would it be an immediate solution, according to David Mudridge, a longtime attorney in Fresno.
An immigration judge has room to consider how a person’s life changes since being convicted of a crime may make them deserving of citizenship, he said. A pardon from the governor would likely help that case, but the federal government does not have to recognize it.
“This is a horrible time to go before a judge and rely on good graces,” he said. “He can talk about what a model citizen he has been, but he can’t change what’s happened.”
The Trump Administration has taken a hard stance on immigrants in the country, causing significant uproar this year after masked federal agents have made arrests in the San Joaquin Valley and in cities across the country.
Members of the Fresno community have shown support for Behpoor. Nearly $30,000 has been raised on a crowd-funding website to assist his family, and some have organized letter-writing campaigns that drew more than 120 notes. Councilmembers Annalisa Perea and Mike Karbassi also penned a joint letter of support to ICE on his behalf.
Behpoor said the ordeal has weighed on his family as his bills pile up. He said he had something of an emotional breakdown seeing his son, who is potty training, recently over a video call.
“My wife is having an extremely hard time. We’re solid as a family unit, but I can see what it’s doing. It’s overwhelming to her,” he said. “Every day it’s so stressful because there’s no end in sight. Then I wonder: ‘Is my family going to lose our home? Are we going to be on the street?’ I’m just trying to stay calm.”
This story was originally published October 4, 2025 at 5:00 AM.
