The phrases of a plea settlement Boston Metropolis Councilor Tania Fernandes Anderson reached with federal prosecutors raises questions on whether or not her choice to plead responsible to 2 public corruption prices might get her deported.
Fernandes Anderson, 46, was born in Cape Verde, and on the age of 10, immigrated to Roxbury. She was the primary African immigrant, Muslim-American and previously undocumented immigrant elected to the Metropolis Council, in November 2021.
The plea settlement states that by pleading responsible to 2 of the six public corruption prices that have been lodged in opposition to her in a December 2024 federal indictment, Fernandes Anderson could also be susceptible to deportation from the US.
“Defendant understands that, if defendant is not a United States citizen by birth, pleading guilty may affect defendant’s immigration status,” the federal court docket submitting states. “Defendant agrees to plead guilty regardless of any potential immigration consequences, even if defendant’s plea results in automatically being removed from the United States.”
Fernandes Anderson stated Tuesday that she intends to resign from her $120,000 place on the Metropolis Council. The prior indictment states that she carried out a bonus kickback scheme in a Metropolis Corridor lavatory.
U.S. Lawyer Leah Foley plans to advocate that Fernandes Anderson be sentenced to incarceration for a yr and a day, to be adopted by 36 months of supervised launch, court docket information present.
Jessica Vaughan, director of coverage research on the Heart for Immigration Research, stated that whereas it’s tough to find out the probability of deportation with out realizing the particulars of Fernandes Anderson’s immigration standing, the costs she’s pleading responsible to open up the potential for her elimination.
“If there are felony charges, yes, certainly, and this one is particularly serious because it’s of her position as a public official and her abuse of the public trust,” Vaughan instructed the Herald. “In addition to potentially criminal penalties, non-citizens often face the risk of deportation as a side effect. It’s not necessarily an additional penalty, per se, but it’s a consequence of them breaking the law.”
Fernandes Anderson is at the moment a U.S. citizen, in line with Sabino Piemonte, head assistant registrar of voters for the Boston Election Division.
Piemonte stated non-citizens can’t vote in Boston, and subsequently, can’t run for native elected workplace, together with on the Metropolis Council.
“You have to be a voter,” Piemonte instructed the Herald. “In order to be a voter, I believe you have to be a citizen.”
Metropolis Council candidates are required to signal an announcement of candidacy that they’re registered voters, he stated.
In December 2023, the Metropolis Council authorized a house rule petition that may enable for non-citizen voting in native elections.
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