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'It's good to be home': Wrongfully convicted deportee begins a new chapter

Gideon Baena and his mother. (Courtesy of Gideon Baena)
Gideon Baena and his mother. (Courtesy of Gideon Baena)

A family in California has been reunited after 20 years when a wrongful conviction sent a young man to a country he barely knew — the Philippines. Gideon Baena fought his case all the way to the California Superior Court which overturned his conviction, deeming it unconstitutional. Then his legal team went to the Department of Homeland Security, petitioned for his case to be reopened and for his status as a green card holder to be restored.

Baena returned home this week and spoke with Here & Now‘s Deepa Fernandes in an exclusive interview, along with his attorney, Shan Potts.

Gideon Baena was wrongfully convicted and deported to the Philippines. (Courtesy of Gideon Baena)

This article was originally published on WBUR.org.

Copyright 2023 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

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