FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 29, 2025
Media contact: press@nakasec.org, 213-703-0992
San Francisco, CA – Tae Heung “Will” Kim, a green-card holder and resident of Texas, has been trapped by federal agents in “secondary review” at San Francisco International Airport since Monday, July 21. He is being held in inhumane conditions without access to legal counsel. The Washington Post wrote today about Will, age 40, who was returning from a visit to South Korea to celebrate his brother’s wedding. He has called the United States home for over 35 years – since he was five years old. Will is currently a Ph.D. student at Texas A&M University, where he is engaged in groundbreaking research to fight Lyme disease.
As Washington Post reporter Kim Bellware writes,
“The government has not said why it detained him,” [Kim’s attorney] said, and immigration officials have refused to let Kim speak to an attorney or communicate with his family members directly except for a brief call to his mother on Friday.”
A legal permanent resident of the United States, Will had a charge for possession of a small amount of marijuana some 14 years ago, in 2011. As a result of this misdemeanor, the courts ordered Will to complete community service, which he successfully completed. Having taken responsibility and successfully paying his dues, Will should be able to rebuild and return to his life like anyone else. And, as the Washington Post wrote, “immigration law has a long-established waiver process that allows officials to overlook certain minor crimes that would otherwise threaten a legal permanent resident’s status…[lawyers say] Kim easily meets the criteria for a waiver.”
The Trump administration continues to assault immigrants and undermine the Constitution. Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) agents have arbitrarily held Will in inhumane conditions for over one week, depriving him of access to legal counsel and usurping his ability to seek his freedom and uphold his basic rights. Will suffers from asthma, a condition that can be exacerbated by stress, and we are unsure about his access to his medication. CBP’s own manual declares that a person can only be held for 72 hours – yet Will has been in their custody for nearly triple that. His prolonged detention and lack of access to his lawyer raise profound constitutional concerns.
The National Korean American Service and Education Consortium (NAKASEC) and Immigrant Defense Project (IDP) demand that CBP/ICE release Will from their custody immediately and allow him to return to his life and studies in Texas.
Becky Belcore, NAKASEC Co-Director, said: “Will has called the United States home for over 35 years. CBP’s arrest of Will highlights a dangerous escalation of the Trump regime’s attacks on individuals, communities, and constitutional rights. For many of our Asian and immigrant communities, we know too well the slippery slope toward authoritarianism when one person or community’s rights can be disregarded. We know the Trump regime is testing their hand to see what they can get away with and how much money they and their corporate friends can pocket. We demand that CBP/ICE release Will from their custody, and allow him to return to his home in Texas and to his work to prevent Lyme disease.”
Sharon Lee, Will’s Mom: “My husband and I immigrated to the U.S. believing that this is the country of freedom and equal rights where everyone is treated with fairness. We believed that the U.S. was the best place for us to raise our family, and for decades we built our life here. My children only know the U.S. as home. Will should not be trapped or treated poorly just because he made a mistake or is not a citizen. He deserves to go back to his normal life.”
Karl Krooth, Will’s immigration lawyer, said: “It’s appalling to see a lawful permanent resident suffer detention for a week without access to counsel. While detained, CBP kept the lights on 24 hours per day, not allowing Will to see any daylight because the only time he was allowed near a window was at night. He was given no fluids besides water, ate only concession stand food, and slept in a chair rather than bed.”
Eric Lee, partner at Lee & Godshall-Bennett, LLP, which is representing Will pro bono, said, “Donald Trump is depriving the American people of Will Kim’s critical biomedical work, prolonging the search for a vaccine for Lyme disease. A CBP Supervisor Officer explicitly told me on the phone that he was denying Will the right to speak to his lawyers. When I asked whether the Constitution applied to Will, a green card holder who has lived here for 35 years, the officer said, ‘No.’”
Founded in 1994, the National Korean American Service & Education Consortium (NAKASEC)’s mission is to organize Korean and Asian Americans to achieve social, economic, and racial justice. The NAKASEC Network is HANA Center (Illinois), Hamkae Center (Virginia), Woori Center (Pennsylvania), MinKwon Center for Community Action (New York & New Jersey), and Woori Juntos (Texas).
Hamkae Center is a community-based organization with a mission to organize Asian Americans in Virginia to achieve social, economic, and racial justice. Alongside its community members, Hamkae Center works to build a future in which low- and middle-income, immigrant, people of color, and all marginalized communities can fully participate in U.S. society and work together as makers of lasting change.
