First Korean jailed under Trump immigration crackdown

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First Korean jailed under Trump immigration crackdown

The White House announces the arrest of a South Korean man during an immigration crackdown in this image posted to X on Jan. 31. [SCREEN CAPTURE]

The White House announces the arrest of a South Korean man during an immigration crackdown in this image posted to X on Jan. 31. [SCREEN CAPTURE]

 
A Korean national was arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on Tuesday, the White House said Friday, in the agency's first known arrest of one of the country's citizens since the launch of U.S. President Donald Trump's intensified immigration crackdown. 
 
The individual, Im Hyun-woo, was arrested on Tuesday. Im was sentenced to five years in prison and 20 years probation and found guilty of “nine counts of possession or control of material depicting minors in sexually explicit conduct,” according to a White House post made on X, formerly Twitter, on Thursday, which did not provide any further details regarding the incident but did list it as one of "1,016 Total Illegal Immigration Arrests" recorded on that day.
 

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The White House implied, but did not outright state, that Im had been living in the United States without legal permission during a press briefing in Washington on Friday. 
 
“Our brave ICE agents continue to arrest more and more of these types of individuals every day in communities across our country,” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said in the briefing before mentioning Im's arrest, as well as those of other detainees, including “a Mexican national previously charged by the State of New York for attempted murder.”
 
“Our message is simple, if you are a criminal, illegal alien, you will be arrested and deported,” Leavitt said afterward. 
 
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt speaks during a press briefing at the White House on Jan. 31 in Washington. [AP/YONHAP]

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt speaks during a press briefing at the White House on Jan. 31 in Washington. [AP/YONHAP]

 
Trump signed multiple executive actions targeting immigrants lacking permanent legal status shortly after taking office. 
 
The president issued an order revoking birthright citizenship from children of parents without U.S. citizenship or long-term visas, which is already facing numerous legal challenges. He also declared his intention to decide within 90 whether to invoke the insurrection act, enabling him to deploy the military as law enforcement, for “border defense.” Critically, he has attempted to crack down on sanctuary cities and expand the pool of undocumented immigrants subject to deportation, and has revoked a directive that had previously restricted ICE arrests in certain locations.
 
Im's arrest, and the news conference that followed, have already heightened fears within Korean American communities, raising concerns that Korean green card holders with criminal records, as well as immigrants without permanent legal status in the country, could face stricter immigration policies.
 
One of two documented immigrants with prior convictions, detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Homeland Security Investigations agents, walks toward a vehicle in Arizona on Jan. 26. [REUTERS/YONHAP]

One of two documented immigrants with prior convictions, detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Homeland Security Investigations agents, walks toward a vehicle in Arizona on Jan. 26. [REUTERS/YONHAP]

 
Kim Dong-suk, head of the civic group Korean American Grassroots Conference, told Yonhap News Agency that Trump’s return to the Oval Office is a “disaster” for Koreans in the United States and that Korean communities in the country “are gripped by fear.”
 
Even international students and those working part-time are anxious as the broader crackdown on undocumented immigrants could fuel negative perceptions of all immigrants, including legal visa holders. 
 
Radio Korea, a Korean-language radio station based in Los Angeles, reported that an increasing number of Korean international students have begun quitting their off-campus part-time jobs, fearing they could be flagged for unauthorized employment. Off-campus jobs are highly restricted for holders of F-1 student visas in the United States. ICE agents recently raided a restaurant in Tysons, Virginia, conducted a status verification check on all employees, and arrested Korean student who was working part-time on a student visa, according to the report.
 
The number of Korean nationals currently living in the United States without legal permission is difficult to accurately track. 
 
Advocacy groups estimate that approximately 140,000 to 150,000 — or 1.3 percent to 1.4 percent — of the 11 million undocumented immigrants currently living in the United States are Korean nationals. Around 20,000 of those residents were adopted as children but failed to secure U.S. citizenship through their adoptive parents, according to the groups.

BY SEO JI-EUN, LEE SOO-JUNG [[email protected]]
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