Latest news with #Lee
Yahoo
27 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Korean PhD student detained in California despite green card, lawyer says
A green card holder from South Korea who has lived in the United States since the age of five was taken into government custody by immigration authorities, a spokesperson for the National Korean American Education and Service Consortium (NAKASEC) told ABC News. Last Monday, NAKASEC said it received a call to their immigration hotline from a family member of Tae Heung "Will" Kim, stating that he had been taken into Customs and Border Protection (CBP) custody at San Francisco International Airport. Kim has been a green card holder since 2011 and has lived in the U.S. for 35 years, since the age of 5 when his family emigrated from South Korea, according to his lawyers. His mother is a U.S. citizen, and he is currently pursuing his PhD at Texas A&M, with an emphasis on creating a vaccine for Lyme Disease. Kim, according to his lawyers, had departed the country for two weeks to attend the wedding of his brother in South Korea. MORE: 'Am I dreaming?': Soccer coach who says he was deported over his tattoo celebrates his release from CECOT His case was taken on pro bono by immigration attorney Eric Lee, who said he faced difficulties in reaching his client to speak to him, as well as getting answers from the federal government. Lee told ABC News he was finally able to talk to a supervisor at the SFO CBP facility on Saturday, in what he described as a "hostile conversation." Lee said the official told him it was "not true" that Kim had the right to speak to a lawyer and that was "his policy." Lee said he asked the official if the constitution applied to his client, and he replied, "No." A lawyer for Kim said they were not told the reason for Lee's detention. In a statement, CBP pointed to a past drug charge. His lawyer told ABC News that the statement was the first time they learned the pretext for his detention. According to Lee, Kim was charged with possession of a small amount of marijuana in 2011, but he had fulfilled community service. His lawyer was unclear on Kim's immigration status at the time of the crime. MORE: Father of 3 Marines who was forcibly detained by immigration agents at landscaping job speaks out "If a green card holder is convicted of a drug offense, violating their status, that person is issued a Notice to Appear and CBP coordinates detention space with ICE ERO. This alien is in ICE custody pending removal proceedings," a CBP spokesperson told ABC News. Describing the conditions of his client's detention, Lee said that his client was held without any access to sunlight, had to sleep in a chair, and was held in a room where the lights were constantly on. The NAKASEC spokesperson said that Kim was given water and "airport concessions" to eat. His lawyer alleges that messages sent to Kim's phone by family members were responded to by CBP staff. His lawyer also expressed concern about Kim's asthma and said he was unsure if he had access to his medication. Kim's lawyer Lee pointed out that CBP guidelines are that detainees should not be held in airport facilities for more than 72 hours, and said, "Will spent double that." Kim's lawyer was told Tuesday morning by a congressional staff member that he had been relocated to an ICE detention facility in South Texas, which they told ABC News they have not been able to confirm with DHS.

29 minutes ago
- Politics
Korean PhD student detained in California despite green card, lawyer says
A green card holder from South Korea who has lived in the United States since the age of five was taken into government custody by immigration authorities, a spokesperson for the National Korean American Education and Service Consortium (NAKASEC) told ABC News. Last Monday, NAKASEC said it received a call to their immigration hotline from a family member of Tae Heung "Will" Kim, stating that he had been taken into Customs and Border Protection (CBP) custody at San Francisco International Airport. Kim has been a green card holder since 2011 and has lived in the U.S. for 35 years, since the age of 5 when his family emigrated from South Korea, according to his lawyers. His mother is a U.S. citizen, and he is currently pursuing his PhD at Texas A&M, with an emphasis on creating a vaccine for Lyme Disease. Kim, according to his lawyers, had departed the country for two weeks to attend the wedding of his brother in South Korea. His case was taken on pro bono by immigration attorney Eric Lee, who said he faced difficulties in reaching his client to speak to him, as well as getting answers from the federal government. Lee told ABC News he was finally able to talk to a supervisor at the SFO CBP facility on Saturday, in what he described as a "hostile conversation." Lee said the official told him it was "not true" that Kim had the right to speak to a lawyer and that was "his policy." Lee said he asked the official if the constitution applied to his client, and he replied, "No." A lawyer for Kim said they were not told the reason for Lee's detention. In a statement, CBP pointed to a past drug charge. His lawyer told ABC News that the statement was the first time they learned the pretext for his detention. According to Lee, Kim was charged with possession of a small amount of marijuana in 2011, but he had fulfilled community service. His lawyer was unclear on Kim's immigration status at the time of the crime. "If a green card holder is convicted of a drug offense, violating their status, that person is issued a Notice to Appear and CBP coordinates detention space with ICE ERO. This alien is in ICE custody pending removal proceedings," a CBP spokesperson told ABC News. Describing the conditions of his client's detention, Lee said that his client was held without any access to sunlight, had to sleep in a chair, and was held in a room where the lights were constantly on. The NAKASEC spokesperson said that Kim was given water and "airport concessions" to eat. His lawyer alleges that messages sent to Kim's phone by family members were responded to by CBP staff. His lawyer also expressed concern about Kim's asthma and said he was unsure if he had access to his medication. Kim's lawyer Lee pointed out that CBP guidelines are that detainees should not be held in airport facilities for more than 72 hours, and said, "Will spent double that." Kim's lawyer was told Tuesday morning by a congressional staff member that he had been relocated to an ICE detention facility in South Texas, which they told ABC News they have not been able to confirm with DHS.


Perth Now
30 minutes ago
- Sport
- Perth Now
'Big test': Minjee Lee leads strong Aussie Open assault
Hungry for a rare career grand slam, a refreshed Minjee Lee has arrived at the Women's British Open ready to confront head-on the beauty and the beast that is Royal Porthcawl. After capturing the third leg of women's golf's fabled slam with victory at last month's PGA Championship, Lee needs an Open triumph and a Chevron Championship to complete the set. Americans Mickey Wright, Pat Bradley, Julie Inkster and Louise Suggs, South Korean Inbee Park, great Swede Annika Sorenstam and Australian Karrie Webb are the only players recognised with achieving a career grand slam after winning four different major championships. But only the legendary Webb, Australia's most prolific major winner with seven all up, has completed the "super grand slam" of five different majors. After some much-needed R&R and no golf in London, Lee admits trying to join her childhood idol and mentor is a huge goal. "All the majors are a great motivator for me, so yes, I definitely want to win it (the British Open) at some stage and be able to get the career grand slam," the 29-year-old said. "That would be absolutely amazing ... and now that I look back at it right now, this is what I can say: that's quite a big motivation for me to try and get over the line." With a tie for third behind victorious compatriot Grace Kim at this month's Evian Championship, a joint 14th at the Chevron and an equal 22nd at the US Open, Lee also enters the week leading the ANNIKA Major Award. With another strong finish in Wales, the 2022 recipient could join world No.1 Nelly Korda (2024) and Ariya Jutanugarn (2018) as only the third player to claim major-player-of-the-year honours twice. To do so, Lee knows she will need to be on top of her game at the picturesque seaside layout hosting the Open for the first time. "It's going to be a really great challenge," the West Australian said. "You have to be really strong off the tees, with driver, whatever you have off the tee. "And then the wind and the way the holes are shaped, it's kind of tricky. "There's a lot of shots that go up into the air and the green's are a little bit lower, so you can't really see where they land. There's a couple of blind shots. "So it reminds me of an in-between links and kind of a regular golf course, but without trees. "The landscape is really lovely and you can see the ocean, so it just feels like it's going to be a great trip, just a good test." With five top-10 finishes in 11 Open starts, Lee is the most credentialled of the nine Australians in the 145-strong field. But any number of the classy contingent are capable of contending. Lee is joined by fellow major champions Hannah Green and Kim, Gabriela Ruffels, who led into the final round of the Evian Championship, 2024 Evian runner-up Steph Kyriacou and fellow LPGA Tour stars Cassie Porter, Karis Davidson and Hira Naveed. European Tour pro Kirsten Rudgeley will round out a nine-strong Australian challenge on her major championship debut. The purse for golf's final major of the year is $US9.5 million ($A14.6 million), with the winner pocketing $US1.425 million ($A2.2 million).


Korea Herald
an hour ago
- Automotive
- Korea Herald
Tesla CEO Musk says he discussed chip deal with Samsung Chairman Lee
Tesla Inc. Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk said he discussed the details of a recent semiconductor supply deal with Samsung Electronics Co. Chairman Lee Jae-yong. In a response to a user's comment on his X account on Tuesday that Samsung Electronics "has no idea what they signed up for," Musk replied, "They do. "I had a video call with the chairman and senior leadership of Samsung to go over what a real partnership would be like," he continued, adding they will "use the strengths of both companies to achieve a great outcome." Later, when another user commented that "Samsung is definitely the underdog when it comes to chipmaking," Musk defended the South Korean tech giant, saying: "Both TSMC and Samsung are great companies. It is an honor to work with them." Shortly after Samsung Electronics announced a 22.8 trillion-won ($16.5 billion) deal to supply artificial intelligence chips to an undisclosed customer, Musk revealed that Tesla was the partner behind the contract. He said Samsung Electronics will manufacture Tesla's next-generation AI6 chip at its new semiconductor plant in Texas, stressing, "The strategic importance of this is hard to overstate." Meanwhile, Samsung Chairman Lee departed for Washington, DC, on Tuesday amid ongoing South Korea–US tariff discussions ahead of Friday's trade deadline. Although he did not elaborate on the purpose of his US trip, Lee is expected to discuss global business cooperation and explore new business opportunities with major partners. (Yonhap)


South China Morning Post
an hour ago
- Politics
- South China Morning Post
What will South Korea's new special envoys do?
After months of political tumult and democratic uncertainty, South Korea 's new president has begun dispatching special envoys across the globe, seeking to both redefine Seoul's foreign policy and restore the nation's international standing. President Lee Jae-myung 's first batch of emissaries was sent to the European Union, France, Britain and India, the presidential office announced on July 13 – a move analysts see as his administration's opening gambit to strengthen both bilateral and multilateral relations. Within a week, additional envoys were appointed to Canada and Malaysia, according to the Yonhap news agency. The diplomatic surge is set to continue, with further envoys to be dispatched to Poland, Vietnam, Australia and Germany by the turn of the month, carrying personal letters from Lee and tasked with exploring avenues for deeper cooperation. EU and South Korean flags at a summit meeting in 2018 with then European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker. Photo: AFP In total, 14 envoys – more than under any previous government – will be sent abroad to articulate the administration's foreign policy vision and state philosophy, South Korean media reported.