Concerns Surround Detention of Green Card Holder

According to his lawyer, Tae Heung “Will” Kim, a 40-year-old legal permanent resident originally from South Korea, has faced prolonged detention at San Francisco International Airport after arriving in the U.S. at age five. Lawyer Eric Lee mentioned that Kim was unexpectedly removed from a secondary screening on July 21, but he couldn’t access his client.

Lee expressed uncertainty about Kim’s current whereabouts and revealed that only a brief call to his family last week was permitted. Though officials at the Senate office indicated Kim had been transferred to an immigration facility in Texas, South Korean consulate representatives told his family he would be sent elsewhere.

“I don’t know where he’s going. I don’t know why,” Lee remarked.

Kim’s criminal record includes a misdemeanor marijuana possession charge from 2011, but his legal team questions whether that warrants a week-long detention in a windowless airport room.

While the Department of Homeland Security has not responded to inquiries from LA Times, a customs and border security spokesman informed the Washington Post that Kim is currently in custody as removal hearings are underway.

His lawyer criticized the situation, arguing that detaining someone for past minor offenses seems excessive. “If all Americans who had a small amount of weed in their cars were detained under these conditions,” he added, the implications would be troubling.

Kim’s mother, Yehoon “Sharon” Lee, expressed concern for her son’s health during his detention, noting his childhood asthma. “He had asthma since he was young. I don’t know if he has enough medicine. He has an inhaler, but I don’t know if it’s sufficient,” she stated.

Kim’s parents entered the U.S. on business visas in the 1980s and became naturalized citizens, but Kim aged out of automatic citizenship eligibility. Subsequently, he obtained a green card and has lived in the U.S. for most of his life, particularly after his father’s passing, working in the family doll manufacturing business. Recently, he enrolled in a doctoral program at Texas A&M, contributing to Lyme disease vaccine research.

Numerous reports have emerged regarding the detention of permanent U.S. residents at airports, particularly those with criminal histories, no matter how minor. Experts are urging green card holders to refrain from international travel to diminish the risks associated with unresolved legal matters.