Korean American researcher held at airport for weeks over decade-old weed conviction

[Source]

A 40-year-old scientist and legal everlasting resident has been detained by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection at San Francisco International Airport since July 21. Tae Heung “Will” Kim, who has lived in the U.S. since age 5, was returning from his brother’s marriage ceremony in South Korea when brokers cited a 2011 misdemeanor marijuana conviction as grounds for his detention.

Devastated household

Kim is a Ph.D. scholar at Texas A&M University developing a vaccine for Lyme disease. According to his legal crew, he has beforehand traveled internationally for tutorial work without incident. Relatives describe Kim as a devoted son and brother who has spent 35 years in the U.S. and constructed a profession centered on public health research.

Sharon Lee, Kim’s mom, described her anguish: “When my other child called and told me they arrested Will, my heart felt like the sky and earth fell. It feels like the world has ended. I’ve been so worried. We haven’t been able to talk with him. I can’t sleep or eat. As a mother, I want my son to be safe and free.”

Conditions of detention

Attorney Karl Krooth, an immigration lawyer in San Francisco, said Kim’s detention has far exceeded CBP’s inner 72-hour holding restrict for airports. “I’ve never seen anyone held that long. A prolonged detention indicates to me that there is a degree of coercion or inducement afoot.”

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Krooth reported that Kim was “moved within secondary inspection at least twice per day,” stored in windowless rooms with lights on 24 hours a day, denied exercise or contemporary air, pressured to sleep in a chair, and given only concession food and water. Kim, who has asthma, reportedly struggled to access medication. Since his detention started, he has had nearly no communication with household or counsel, and his legal crew believes he might now be held at a facility in Arizona.

Alarming pattern

Kim’s detention comes amid a rise in circumstances where legal everlasting residents are held over minor or decades-old offenses under stricter immigration enforcement. Civil rights teams and immigration attorneys report that inexperienced card holders are more and more stopped or eliminated at airports for low-level convictions, including people who have spent most of their lives in the U.S.

Becky Belcore, co-director of the National Korean American Service & Education Consortium, called Kim’s treatment alarming for “every person who values their freedom and rights.” Belcore criticized both major political events for failing to signify all residents and called for swift motion to defend the rights and freedoms the U.S. claims to uphold. “Immigrants have been used as a scapegoat for the Trump administration to test the will of the People, and to build the infrastructure to enact an authoritarian regime,” she added.

Trending on NextShark: Korean American researcher held at airport for weeks over decade-old weed conviction

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