Green Card Holder Detained at SFO Faces Deportation Risk

A U.S. Resident from South Korea Detained at Airport Amid Rising Concerns

A permanent U.S. resident from South Korea has been detained for at least a week at San Francisco International Airport, sparking concerns over the increasing use of airport detentions by immigration authorities. Tae Heung "Will" Kim, who has lived in the United States since he was five years old, is currently a doctoral student at Texas A&M University working on research for a Lyme disease vaccine. His attorneys say the case highlights a troubling trend in how immigration officials are handling individuals with minor past offenses.

Kim was detained on July 21 at a security checkpoint upon arriving at the airport from South Korea. According to Chris Godshall-Bennett, one of Kim's attorneys, the 40-year-old man has a prior misdemeanor marijuana possession charge from more than a decade ago. However, it remains unclear whether Kim is still being held at the airport or has been transferred to a detention center. A spokesperson for U.S. Customs and Border Protection stated that Kim is currently in ICE custody pending removal proceedings.

Godshall-Bennett said that immigration officials have not provided any explanation for Kim’s detention and have not allowed his legal team to contact him. The attorney also expressed concern about the conditions in which Kim is being held, noting that airport detention facilities are not equipped for long-term stays and that detainees often lack access to basic hygiene.

“People can’t even change their underwear. This is not an acceptable situation to put human beings in,” Godshall-Bennett said.

While Kim’s attorneys have been unable to speak directly with him, his younger brother, who attended Kim’s wedding in South Korea, has managed to have brief conversations with him. Another of Kim’s attorneys, Eric Lee, shared updates on social media, stating that Kim has been held in an airport detention facility with “no daylight, sleeping in a chair, no access to a lawyer.” Lee described the situation as “another brutal attack on immigrants & science” and called for Kim’s release.

This case is part of a broader pattern of increased detentions at airports across the country. In May, an Irish woman who had lived in the U.S. legally for decades was detained at SFO due to a criminal record from 20 years prior. She was eventually released after 17 days amid public outcry.

The Trump administration has intensified efforts to boost deportation numbers, promising to arrest 3,000 people per day. Advocates argue that these measures go beyond targeting only the “worst of the worst,” leading to family separations and creating fear among immigrant communities. In the Bay Area, most ICE arrests occur when individuals appear in immigration court or during regular check-ins, leaving many in fear of being detained during their legal proceedings.

Recent data shows that arrests in Northern California have increased by roughly 70% this year compared to the final six months of the Biden administration. While arrests of convicted criminals have risen, the number of people arrested for immigration-related violations or those with pending charges has grown even faster. At least 30 people have been arrested in the Bay Area so far, according to advocates.

Godshall-Bennett criticized the approach, saying, “They found an excuse to remove somebody who is not a citizen and they are taking every opportunity to remove as many people as they can regardless of their connection, regardless of the amount of time they've been here and regardless of the work they do.”

In 2011, Kim was arrested for a minor marijuana possession charge in Texas, for which he served community service. Godshall-Bennett believes Kim may be eligible for a waiver that would prevent the conviction from being used against him. Typically, people with past marijuana convictions can receive a waiver if the amount possessed was less than 30 grams. Marijuana possession is charged as a misdemeanor if the amount is less than 28.5 grams.

Catherine Seitz, legal director of the Immigration Institute of the Bay Area, noted that while marijuana possession has been decriminalized in some states, it can still result in deportation. She said what makes Kim’s case unusual is the length of his detention. Usually, immigration authorities give individuals an appointment and tell them to return for another inspection before initiating removal proceedings.

“They are definitely being stricter,” Seitz said. “They're using detention a lot more in this administration.”