Gov. Andrew Cuomo. Photo by Rick Kopstein Gov. Andrew Cuomo. Photo by Rick Kopstein New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Monday issued state pardons to seven immigrants to help them avoid deportation. The pardons will make immigration-related relief possible, if not automatic, for the seven individuals, Cuomo's office said in a press release. Cuomo framed his action as a rebuke to the hard-line immigration policies championed by President Donald Trump. "While President Trump engages in policies that rip children out of the arms of their mothers and tries to ramp up the deportation of New Yorkers to advance his political agenda of hate and division, we will protect our immigrant communities,” Cuomo said in a statement. “With the Statue of Liberty in our harbor, New York will always stand against the hate coming out of Washington and instead serve as a beacon of hope and opportunity for all." Cuomo issued similar pardons to 18 individuals facing deportation in December. The pardons may prevent an immigrant from deported altogether or at least give an immigration judge the opportunity to provide relief, according to Richard Joselson, the supervising attorney with the criminal appeals bureau at the Legal Aid Society. “Depending on the nature of the conviction that is the subject of the pardon, the governor's pardon may put the client in a position where he is no longer deportable at all,” Joselson said. “In different kinds of cases it might make someone who is ineligible for any relief from the immigration court eligible for relief.” That relief could be a cancellation of removal, an adjustment of status, among other options. Each of the seven individuals pardoned Monday has been living in New York for a number of years and have been convicted of low-level crimes, according to the release. Marino Soto, for example, was convicted of criminal possession of a controlled substance. He has been crime-free for 12 years and owns a software company in Connecticut. Another immigrant, Tamar Samuda, was detained by ICE on her way back from a family funeral for a low-level assault and petit larceny conviction from 17 years ago. Samuda is a single mother to three children, according to Cuomo's office. Cuomo's pardon will reverse those convictions. State Republicans, who have criticized an order from Cuomo pardoning parolees so they can vote, were mum on his immigration-related pardons Monday. Cuomo's announcement is the latest in a string of actions by the governor to protect immigrants, according to his office. Last year, the state launched the Liberty Defense Project, a public-private legal defense program to provide immigrants with legal counsel. Lawmakers included $10 million in this year's state budget to support the program. The state also is part of an ongoing lawsuit against the Trump administration over its policy of separating immigrant families at the southern border.