KALAMAZOO COUNTY, MI -- A Michigan doctor at risk of deportation because of a 1991 misdemeanor conviction as a teen has received a pardon from outgoing Gov. Rick Snyder.

Dr. Lukasz Niec, a physician at Bronson HealthCare, was among about three dozen people to receive pardons on Friday, Dec. 21. He came to the United States from Poland when he was 5.

Niec’s story became a high-profile issue in January when he was arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents in January at his Kalamazoo area home.

He was told they were there because of two misdemeanor convictions from the early 1990s.

Niec was released on bond after spending about two weeks in jail. In later interviews, he said he believed a custody battle with his ex-fiancee led someone to make a tip to ICE.

Niec went to the state parole board in July to seek a pardon, even though one of the cases was wiped from his record through a “youthful offender” program called the Holmes Youthful Trainee Act (HYTA)

ICE doesn’t recognized the HYTA dismissal, however.

Late Friday, Niec said he was “thrilled” to hear about the pardon and he hoped that it would end the threat of deportation.

He said ICE authorities still have his passport and green card and he’s scheduled to go before an immigration judge in September.

The scare has convinced him it’s time to apply for U.S. citizenship.

“I should have done it earlier," he said. “I guess I should have thought it was more important.”