THIS VETERAN ACTOR PLAYS AN IMMIGRATION LAWYER IN A NEW MOVIE. IN REAL LIFE HE’S FIGHTING HIS OWN CASE
In 2022, an attorney for Nakli filed an official request for a presidential pardon. If the clemency application is granted, Nakli says it would clear the way for him to become a US citizen and dramatically change his life.
There’s no doubt Nakli’s push to get a pardon adds a layer of irony to his portrayal of an immigration lawyer in the film. Torres says it also highlights a unique situation many immigrants face.
“In Laith’s case, it’s like, if you were American, this would never come up … Something that happened in the ’90s? No, you’d probably never think about it,” Torres said at a recent event discussing the film with the Texas-based immigrant advocacy organization RAICES. “But because the system is so unforgiving, there’s just no moving away from it … That pressure is just completely unfair” …
“I’m at a point where I’m very open about it,” he said at the recent RAICES event. “Yes, I made a mistake. I broke the law and I paid the price for it. And I’ve been doing everything right ever since.”
Second chances, he says, are also a vital part of the America he’s come to know and love. And he hopes his pardon application will give him the chance for a new start.
