In the past 10 months (October 2022-July 2023), a record 5,400 Koreans have been arrested, referred to deportation proceedings, or denied entry into the United States through various points including Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), San Francisco International Airport, Port of Long Beach, and Port Hueneme. This figure represents the highest number of Korean deportation and denial of entry cases since records began in 2012.
According to data compiled by Syracuse University’s Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse (TRAC), based on information from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP), 5,407 Koreans received a Notice to Appear (NTA) or were refused entry into the United States.
Historically, the number of affected Koreans was approximately 2,000 through 2019, with 1,707 recorded in 2012 when TRAC first began its data collection. However, this number surged to 2,656 in 2020, 3,082 in 2021, and 4,170 in 2022.
Regarding reasons for denial of entry, over half (2,666 cases) involved non-immigrant visa holders facing issues such as expired visas. This was closely followed by 1,859 cases involving crew members and 717 cases resulting from the Visa Waiver Program.
During this timeframe, 17 permanent residents were either deported or received NTA notices upon attempting entry. Others faced denial due to insufficient documentation or existing criminal records.
Buffalo Niagara Falls Border Patrol Station in New York saw the most substantial number of denials, with 898 individuals turned away. This was followed by 711 at Blaine, Washington Border Patrol Station, 564 in Port Arthur, Texas, and 458 in Houston, Texas.
In California, Los Angeles International Airport reported 107 cases, San Francisco International Airport had 51, Port of San Francisco noted 41, Port of Long Beach 30, Port Hueneme in Ventura County 29, Ports of Sacramento and Los Angeles each had eight, and San Ysidro Border Checkpoint on the San Diego border recorded six cases.
“Given the rise in refugees attempting to enter via borders, even permanent residents are sometimes denied entry due to rigorous identity verification processes,” commented an immigration lawyer. “For those with criminal records, it’s imperative to arrange necessary paperwork in advance when planning to exit and re-enter the country.”
On a broader scale, 894,501 foreign nationals faced denial at U.S. airports and border checkpoints during the same period, marking an all-time high.
The most frequented border checkpoints included Miami International Airport (94,860 cases), San Ysidro Land Port of Entry (78,881), and Brownsville US Border Patrol Checkpoint (75,439).
BY NICOLE CHANG [chang.nicole@koreadaily.com]
