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CNN
04-08-2025
- Politics
- CNN
A Korean university student and daughter of a priest was detained by ICE. Faith leaders are now standing behind her
Yeonsoo Go, a South Korean student at Purdue University and the daughter of a beloved Episcopal priest in New York, told a friend she was nervous about a visa hearing last week, given the stream of headlines about the Trump administration's aggressive pursuit of immigration enforcement. Her fears were realized when she and her mother left her hearing in Manhattan on Thursday to find US Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents waiting for her. Go, 20, was arrested and placed in federal detention nearby, before eventually being moved – like so many recent ICE detainees – to a facility in Louisiana. Now, church communities in New York and South Korea are condemning her treatment by US immigration authorities and rallying for her release. The Department of Homeland Security accuses Go of overstaying her visa 'that expired more than two years ago,' according to a statement from Assistant DHS Secretary Tricia McLaughlin to CNN affiliate WABC. 'ICE arrested her on July 31 and placed her in expedited removal proceedings,' McLaughlin said. But an attorney for the Episcopal Diocese in New York, where Go's mother serves as a priest, said Go's current visa doesn't expire until December, and Thursday's hearing was part of her application to extend it. 'They thought they had come for a routine hearing, for due process, and they really fell into a blackhole of unknown,' attorney Mary Davis told CNN affiliate WCBS. Davis did not specify what type of visa Go has or was seeking, but described the young woman as being 'absolutely terrified.' Go's mother, Reverend Kyrie Kim, serves in the Asian ministry of the Episcopal Diocese in New York and is the first woman ordained in the Seoul Diocese of the Anglican Church of Korea, the church told CNN. Go moved to the US with her mother in 2021 on a religious worker's dependent visa, otherwise known as the R-2, according to a statement to CNN from Anglican Church of Korea. 'Her mother is heartbroken. Her mother is very frightened for her daughter,' Davis told WCBS. CNN has reached out to ICE and DHS for further details. On Saturday, supporters from the Episcopal Diocese of New York, the Interfaith Center of New York and the New York Immigration Coalition called for Go's release during a gathering in Manhattan's Federal Plaza, where Go was held immediately after her arrest, according to Davis and the diocese. The crowd prayed, sang songs and marched with signs bearing the 20-year-old's picture. Go's friends spoke about the positive influence she had on those around her. 'Soo has been there for me,' Gabriella Lopez said, referring to Go. Another friend said she and Go used to make meals for the homeless together, according to footage of the Saturday event from WCBS. Lopez said Go expressed concern before her visa hearing on Thursday. 'She has been a little nervous, given the climate…and now her fears have come true,' Lopez told WABC. Go's mother was receiving 'regular calls' from her daughter after her arrest, Rev. Matthew Heyd of the Episcopal Diocese of New York told WABC Saturday, but on Monday, Go's father told CNN they only learned their daughter had been moved to Louisiana from online records. Go is currently in detention at the Richwood Correctional Center in Monroe, Louisiana, according to ICE records. 'When I first heard the news about Yeonsoo, my mind went completely blank,' Go's father, Sorg-young, told CNN. He said his daughter's hard work in high school in Scarsdale, New York, helped her get into Purdue University's College of Pharmacy. He hoped she would have a bright future after successfully completing her freshman year. 'It's heartbreaking that this happened just as she was preparing for her second year. She's a bright, outgoing girl with many friends,' Go's father told CNN. 'We urge the prompt release of Ms. Go and call for a fair and transparent review of her immigration status in a manner that upholds human dignity and the values our nations share,' Rev. Dongshin Park, Primate of the Anglican Church of Korea, said in the statement, noting the US 'has long been a symbol of liberty, justice, and opportunity, and a trusted partner of Korea.' The 20-year-old's detainment comes amid the Trump administration attempts to tighten its reigns on 'sanctuary cities' like New York City. The Justice Department in July sued the city for policies 'designed to impede the Federal Government's ability to enforce the federal immigration laws.' Go's father said the family is also appealing to the South Korean government to take action over his daughter's case. 'I hope the South Korean government does everything in its capacity, as quickly as possible, so Yeonsoo can be released from her detention as soon as possible,' he said. South Korea's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it is in communication with US officials over Go's detention, telling CNN, 'The government has been providing the necessary consular assistance since becoming aware of the case.' CNN has reached out to the South Korean consulate in Washington, DC, for further comment.
CNN
04-08-2025
- Politics
- CNN
A Korean university student and daughter of a priest was detained by ICE. Faith leaders are now standing behind her
Asia South Korea Federal agencies Student lifeFacebookTweetLink Follow Yeonsoo Go, a South Korean student at Purdue University and the daughter of a beloved Episcopal priest in New York, told a friend she was nervous about a visa hearing last week, given the stream of headlines about the Trump administration's aggressive pursuit of immigration enforcement. Her fears were realized when she and her mother left her hearing in Manhattan on Thursday to find US Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents waiting for her. Go, 20, was arrested and placed in federal detention nearby, before eventually being moved – like so many recent ICE detainees – to a facility in Louisiana. Now, church communities in New York and South Korea are condemning her treatment by US immigration authorities and rallying for her release. The Department of Homeland Security accuses Go of overstaying her visa 'that expired more than two years ago,' according to a statement from Assistant DHS Secretary Tricia McLaughlin to CNN affiliate WABC. 'ICE arrested her on July 31 and placed her in expedited removal proceedings,' McLaughlin said. But an attorney for the Episcopal Diocese in New York, where Go's mother serves as a priest, said Go's current visa doesn't expire until December, and Thursday's hearing was part of her application to extend it. 'They thought they had come for a routine hearing, for due process, and they really fell into a blackhole of unknown,' attorney Mary Davis told CNN affiliate WCBS. Davis did not specify what type of visa Go has or was seeking, but described the young woman as being 'absolutely terrified.' Go's mother, Reverend Kyrie Kim, serves in the Asian ministry of the Episcopal Diocese in New York and is the first woman ordained in the Seoul Diocese of the Anglican Church of Korea, the church told CNN. Go moved to the US with her mother in 2021 on a religious worker's dependent visa, otherwise known as the R-2, according to a statement to CNN from Anglican Church of Korea. 'Her mother is heartbroken. Her mother is very frightened for her daughter,' Davis told WCBS. CNN has reached out to ICE and DHS for further details. On Saturday, supporters from the Episcopal Diocese of New York, the Interfaith Center of New York and the New York Immigration Coalition called for Go's release during a gathering in Manhattan's Federal Plaza, where Go was held immediately after her arrest, according to Davis and the diocese. The crowd prayed, sang songs and marched with signs bearing the 20-year-old's picture. Go's friends spoke about the positive influence she had on those around her. 'Soo has been there for me,' Gabriella Lopez said, referring to Go. Another friend said she and Go used to make meals for the homeless together, according to footage of the Saturday event from WCBS. Lopez said Go expressed concern before her visa hearing on Thursday. 'She has been a little nervous, given the climate…and now her fears have come true,' Lopez told WABC. Go's mother was receiving 'regular calls' from her daughter after her arrest, Rev. Matthew Heyd of the Episcopal Diocese of New York told WABC Saturday, but on Monday, Go's father told CNN they only learned their daughter had been moved to Louisiana from online records. Go is currently in detention at the Richwood Correctional Center in Monroe, Louisiana, according to ICE records. 'When I first heard the news about Yeonsoo, my mind went completely blank,' Go's father, Sorg-young, told CNN. He said his daughter's hard work in high school in Scarsdale, New York, helped her get into Purdue University's College of Pharmacy. He hoped she would have a bright future after successfully completing her freshman year. 'It's heartbreaking that this happened just as she was preparing for her second year. She's a bright, outgoing girl with many friends,' Go's father told CNN. 'We urge the prompt release of Ms. Go and call for a fair and transparent review of her immigration status in a manner that upholds human dignity and the values our nations share,' Rev. Dongshin Park, Primate of the Anglican Church of Korea, said in the statement, noting the US 'has long been a symbol of liberty, justice, and opportunity, and a trusted partner of Korea.' The 20-year-old's detainment comes amid the Trump administration attempts to tighten its reigns on 'sanctuary cities' like New York City. The Justice Department in July sued the city for policies 'designed to impede the Federal Government's ability to enforce the federal immigration laws.' Go's father said the family is also appealing to the South Korean government to take action over his daughter's case. 'I hope the South Korean government does everything in its capacity, as quickly as possible, so Yeonsoo can be released from her detention as soon as possible,' he said. South Korea's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it is in communication with US officials over Go's detention, telling CNN, 'The government has been providing the necessary consular assistance since becoming aware of the case.' CNN has reached out to the South Korean consulate in Washington, DC, for further comment.
Korea Herald
03-08-2025
- Politics
- Korea Herald
Daughter of Korean priest detained by ICE after visa hearing
A 20-year-old South Korean student at Purdue University and daughter of an Episcopal priest has been detained by the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement after attending a routine court hearing over her visa status, according to news reports Sunday. The Episcopal Diocese of New York and immigrant advocacy groups are calling for the immediate release of Go Yeon-soo, saying she was unfairly detained despite having legal status, and that immigration authorities bypassed proper legal procedures. Go, a graduate of Scarsdale High School in Westchester County, is the daughter of the Rev. Kim Ky-rie, the first woman ordained in the Seoul Diocese of the Anglican Church of Korea. According to the family, Go entered the United States in March 2021 on an R-2 visa, a dependent visa for family members of R-1 religious visa holders, following her mother's relocation. The family said her stay was legally extended in 2023 and that her status remains valid through the end of 2025. However, immigration authorities reportedly interpreted her status differently and deemed her stay unlawful. On July 31, Go appeared before the New York Immigration Court and was given a continuance for her hearing, which was rescheduled for October. But shortly after exiting the courthouse, she was detained by ICE agents. She is currently being held at the ICE office in Manhattan and is expected to be transferred to a detention facility for immigrants. 'Her mother receives regular calls from Yeon-soo, and she's being held at 26 Federal Plaza, which, as we know, is not a facility with showers, beds or hot meals,' said the Rt. Rev. Matthew Heyd, bishop coadjutor of the Episcopal Diocese of New York, during a press conference Saturday. 'These detentions are not only illegal — they're immoral.' The press conference was held outside the ICE office in Manhattan by the diocese and a coalition of immigrant advocacy organizations. The case comes amid growing concerns over the treatment of immigrants, particularly among the Korean community. Last month, Tae-heung Kim, a 40-year-old Ph.D. student at Texas A&M University, was detained by federal agents at San Francisco International Airport and remains in custody.
