Korean American advocacy group asks President Lee to help stop Trump deportations
Published: 27 Aug. 2025, 16:27
Updated: 27 Aug. 2025, 16:28
![Choi In-he, chair of the National Korean American Service and Education Consortium (Nakasec), second from right, delivers a letter to President Lee Jae Myung, second from left, during a dinner with Korean diaspora in Washington on Aug. 24. [NATIONAL KOREAN AMERICAN SERVICE AND EDUCATION CONSORTIUM]](https://koreaseafood.online/data/photo/2025/08/27/8dcfc6ef-d78a-4e32-a037-6ba4bcab8150.jpg)
Choi In-he, chair of the National Korean American Service and Education Consortium (Nakasec), second from right, delivers a letter to President Lee Jae Myung, second from left, during a dinner with Korean diaspora in Washington on Aug. 24. [NATIONAL KOREAN AMERICAN SERVICE AND EDUCATION CONSORTIUM]
As Koreans in the United States face arrests and deportations under U.S. President Donald Trump’s hardline immigration policies, a Korean American advocacy group appealed directly to President Lee Jae Myung for help during his visit to the United States.
The National Korean American Service and Education Consortium (Nakasec) said Tuesday it raised the issue at a meeting with Korean residents in Washington on Sunday. The group urged Lee to intervene on behalf of Korean immigrants and adoptees facing detention or deportation.
Nakasec delivered a letter from the mother of Kim Tae-heung, a 40-year-old permanent resident in the United States who was arrested by Customs and Border Protection at San Francisco International Airport after returning from his brother’s wedding in Korea. He is now being held at a detention facility in Texas.
Kim moved to the United States at age five and had been pursuing a doctorate at Texas A&M University, researching a Lyme disease vaccine, before his detention. In 2011, he was convicted of minor marijuana possession and sentenced to community service — a record his family believes contributed to his arrest.
In her letter, Kim’s mother, Lee Ye-hoon, wrote, “It would mean so much if the Korean government could request his prompt release from the U.S. authorities. I acknowledge my son’s past mistake, but this level of harsh treatment feels unjustified.”
Since Trump began his second term in January, his administration has aggressively implemented strict immigration policies, prompting a surge of complaints from individuals claiming they were unfairly arrested or deported.
Among them was Go Yeon-soo, a college student who came to the United States with her mother, an Anglican priest. She was unexpectedly detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers on July 31 after appearing at an immigration court in New York over a visa issue, but was released after four days.
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY SHIN HYE-YEON [[email protected]]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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