The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has been cracking down on undocumented immigrants with criminal records. However, it was belatedly revealed that a South Korean national arrested on January 28 was a permanent resident, possessing a green card.
At the time, White House spokesperson Caroline Leavitt announced in a briefing that the man was “an undocumented South Korean national and a felon sentenced to five years in prison and 20 years of probation for possessing child pornography.”
Myunghwan Sung, a police attaché at the Atlanta Consulate General, said in a phone interview with the Korea Daily on February 14, “I interviewed Lim on February 3, arrested by ICE, at Stewart Federal Immigration Detention Center. He explained that he is a permanent resident, but we have not separately confirmed this with the U.S. government.”
If Lim’s claim is true, this case demonstrates that even permanent residents with serious criminal records can be arrested in the ongoing crackdown. Lim was arrested in Gwinnett County, Georgia, in 2019 for possessing child pornography.
He was sentenced to five years in prison and 20 years of probation, and later, he participated in a work release program for a year as an alternative to serving time. According to local media reports, Lim was arrested by ICE agents on January 28 when he visited his probation officer’s office for a routine check-in.
According to the consulate, Lim has requested deportation from the court. Initially, he sought approval for “voluntary departure,” which would have allowed him to leave the U.S. within a specified timeframe to settle his affairs. However, when the court denied this request, he re-applied for “expedited removal.”
Consul Sung explained, “The deportation timeline depends on how quickly the process moves forward. In recent cases, it has ranged from as little as a week to as long as six months.”
The deportation of permanent residents with serious criminal records is an enforcement action based on immigration law, regardless of the administration’s political stance.
“Permanent residents can be deported if they commit crimes or pose a threat to national security or society,” said Immigration attorney Kwanwoo Chun. “A person can be subject to deportation if they commit an aggravated felony with a sentence of one year or more, or if they receive a prison sentence of six months or more for crimes of moral turpitude, such as fraud or prostitution, within five years of obtaining permanent residency.”
BY KYEONGJUN KIM [kim.kyeongjun1@koreadaily.com]
