Latest news with #SaeJoonPark
Yahoo
9 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Purple Heart Army Veteran Forced To Self-Deport Under ICE Order
A Purple Heart Army veteran who said he took two bullets in the back while serving the U.S. during the invasion of Panama self-deported on Monday after receiving an order by immigration officials earlier this month. Sae Joon Park, 55, who has lived in the U.S. since age 7, reportedly returned to his birth country of South Korea after being given an order related to drug and bail offenses from more than 15 years ago that he says were tied to PTSD. 'I get it. I broke the law and everything, but I think this is a little severe what they're doing to me after I paid my dues, after I did my time for the offense that I did,' he told Hawaii News Now before leaving. 'I thought I was doing my part to do whatever I have to do to be a good citizen and do everything right to stay in this country.' Park confirmed his arrival in South Korea to HuffPost in a short message sent early Wednesday, local time. In it, he blamed President Donald Trump for his removal and said he 'will try and start a new life here.' 'My ICE officer told me last year, if Trump gets elected, there's a good chance I'll get deported,' he added. A spokesperson for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement referred questions to the Department of Homeland Security, which did not immediately respond to HuffPost's request for comment Tuesday. Park, speaking with reporters before his deportation, said he secured legal permanent residency under a green card as a child and at 19 enlisted in the Army. It was while fighting in Panama during the Noriega war in 1989 that he was shot twice and awarded a Purple Heart, which is awarded to any service member who is wounded in defense of the nation. 'In my mind, I'm going, 'Oh my god, I'm shot in the back. I can't feel my legs. I must be paralyzed,'' he told Hawaii News Now, while showing the scars on his back and his medal. He was honorably discharged and returned to his then-home in Los Angeles where he turned to drugs as a coping mechanism while suffering from PTSD. 'I was suffering from PTSD severely,' he told NPR. 'From sleeping nightmares to like, having just fearful thoughts all the time. Couldn't watch horror movies, couldn't hear loud noises.' He said he was arrested while meeting up with a dealer and was ordered by a judge to get clean before his next court hearing, which he said he knew he couldn't do. 'So finally when the judge told me, 'Don't come back into my court with the dirty urine,' which I knew I would, I got scared and I jumped bail,' he told NPR. In addition to the possession of a controlled substance charge, he was consequently convicted in 2009 with bail jumping and served three years in prison. When he got out, he was detained by ICE agents and had his green card revoked. He was allowed to stay in the U.S. under deferred action, however, with an agreement that he would check in each year and stay clean and out of trouble, which he said he did. He moved to Hawaii to be closer to family and raised two children, now in their 20s, while also caring for his aging parents and aunts. 'These last 14 years have been great, like really proud of myself, proud of my kids, how I've been acting and how I've been living my life,' he told Hawaii News Now. His deferred action abruptly ended earlier this month, however. He was given an ankle monitor and three weeks to leave the U.S. or face forcible deportation. 'I was just very lucky to deport myself, remove myself, because they were ready to lock me up,' he told Honolulu station KITV. 'And that is so unfair, and so many people are getting locked up.' Park said he spent his last three weeks in the U.S. with his family, including his mother who's in her 80s and in the early stages of dementia. He doesn't expect to see her again. 'I won't be there for a funeral, like my daughter getting married, just there's a lot of things connected with it. I definitely know that,' he told the station.
Yahoo
9 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Purple Heart Army Veteran Forced To Self-Deport Under ICE Order
A Purple Heart Army veteran who said he took two bullets in the back while serving the U.S. during the invasion of Panama self-deported on Monday after receiving an order by immigration officials earlier this month. Sae Joon Park, 55, who has lived in the U.S. since age 7, reportedly returned to his birth country of South Korea after being given an order related to drug and bail offenses from more than 15 years ago that he says were tied to PTSD. 'I get it. I broke the law and everything, but I think this is a little severe what they're doing to me after I paid my dues, after I did my time for the offense that I did,' he told Hawaii News Now before leaving. 'I thought I was doing my part to do whatever I have to do to be a good citizen and do everything right to stay in this country.' Park confirmed his arrival in South Korea to HuffPost in a short message sent early Wednesday, local time. In it, he blamed President Donald Trump for his removal and said he 'will try and start a new life here.' 'My ICE officer told me last year, if Trump gets elected, there's a good chance I'll get deported,' he added. A spokesperson for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement referred questions to the Department of Homeland Security, which did not immediately respond to HuffPost's request for comment Tuesday. Park, speaking with reporters before his deportation, said he secured legal permanent residency under a green card as a child and at 19 enlisted in the Army. It was while fighting in Panama during the Noriega war in 1989 that he was shot twice and awarded a Purple Heart, which is awarded to any service member who is wounded in defense of the nation. 'In my mind, I'm going, 'Oh my god, I'm shot in the back. I can't feel my legs. I must be paralyzed,'' he told Hawaii News Now, while showing the scars on his back and his medal. He was honorably discharged and returned to his then-home in Los Angeles where he turned to drugs as a coping mechanism while suffering from PTSD. 'I was suffering from PTSD severely,' he told NPR. 'From sleeping nightmares to like, having just fearful thoughts all the time. Couldn't watch horror movies, couldn't hear loud noises.' He said he was arrested while meeting up with a dealer and was ordered by a judge to get clean before his next court hearing, which he said he knew he couldn't do. 'So finally when the judge told me, 'Don't come back into my court with the dirty urine,' which I knew I would, I got scared and I jumped bail,' he told NPR. In addition to the possession of a controlled substance charge, he was consequently convicted in 2009 with bail jumping and served three years in prison. When he got out, he was detained by ICE agents and had his green card revoked. He was allowed to stay in the U.S. under deferred action, however, with an agreement that he would check in each year and stay clean and out of trouble, which he said he did. He moved to Hawaii to be closer to family and raised two children, now in their 20s, while also caring for his aging parents and aunts. 'These last 14 years have been great, like really proud of myself, proud of my kids, how I've been acting and how I've been living my life,' he told Hawaii News Now. His deferred action abruptly ended earlier this month, however. He was given an ankle monitor and three weeks to leave the U.S. or face forcible deportation. 'I was just very lucky to deport myself, remove myself, because they were ready to lock me up,' he told Honolulu station KITV. 'And that is so unfair, and so many people are getting locked up.' Park said he spent his last three weeks in the U.S. with his family, including his mother who's in her 80s and in the early stages of dementia. He doesn't expect to see her again. 'I won't be there for a funeral, like my daughter getting married, just there's a lot of things connected with it. I definitely know that,' he told the station.
Economic Times
13 hours ago
- Politics
- Economic Times
Sae Joon Park, US war hero, self-deports after 50 years — sparks outrage over immigration system
After almost five decades of calling the United States home, Sae Joon Park, a 55-year-old US Army veteran, faced the hardest moment of his life, which was not combat, not years battling PTSD or addiction, but having to leave the country he fought for, as per a report. ADVERTISEMENT Park, who is a green-card holder, had to self-deport to South Korea because of charges related to drug possession and failure to appear in court from over 15 years ago, said that these were the offences that stemmed from years of untreated PTSD, according to an NPR report. During an interview with NPR before his departure, he said, "I can't believe that this is happening in America," adding, "That blows me away, like a country that I fought for," as quoted in the report. His story shows both the challenges of life after combat and the danger that noncitizen veterans face if caught in the legal system, which has become even harsher after the US president Donald Trump administration pushed for record deportations, according to the NPR when Park was 7 years old, he first came to the United States from South Korea to join his mother in Miami, but within a year, both of them shifted to Los Angeles, where Park had spent the rest of his childhood, as per the up, he always looked up to his uncle, who was a colonel in the South Korean military and that motivated him to enlist in the US Army after his high school got completed, as per NPR report. ADVERTISEMENT When he was 20 years old, Park had completed his basic training, and he was deployed to Panama and soon he became part of the 1989 US invasion known as Operation Just Cause to topple Manuel Noriega's regime, reported NPR. ALSO READ: New York City Mayoral Primary: How long will New Yorkers wait for mayoral primary results with ranked choice voting? ADVERTISEMENT Park shared that Panamanian soldiers began to fire and so he started shooting back, but suddenly, he felt a sharp pain in his back, he said, "I realized I was shot," adding, " So I'm thinking, 'Oh my God, I'm paralyzed.' And then thinking, 'Oh my God, I'm not just paralyzed. I'm dying right now,'" as quoted in the report. Then he was flown back to the United States, honourably discharged, and was also awarded a Purple Heart, reported NPR. While his body began to heal but his mind did not, as he revealed, "I was suffering from PTSD severely," adding, "From sleeping nightmares to like, having just fearful thoughts all the time. Couldn't watch horror movies, couldn't hear loud noises," quoted NPR. ADVERTISEMENT However, during that time, Park was not aware that he was dealing with PTSD, and he never sought help, and the trauma slowly took a toll, which eventually led him to turn to drugs to cope, according to the report. He shared, "I had to find some kind of a cure for what I was going through," quoted NPR. ALSO READ: Operation Iran a flop: Trump's boastful Tehran strike may have completely missed the mark despite precision After that, in his 20s and 30s, he battled a crack cocaine addiction, and one the night in New York, when he was meeting up with a dealer, police arrested him, and he later even skipped one of his court hearings, reported NPR. He said, "I just couldn't stay clean," adding, "So finally when the judge told me, 'Don't come back into my court with the dirty urine,' which I knew I would, I got scared and I jumped bail," as quoted in the report. ADVERTISEMENT According to NPR, he was charged with possession of a controlled substance and bail jumping, which also obstructed his chances of naturalization or getting relief from a deportation he was in prison for three years starting in 2009, and following his release, he moved to Hawaii, where his family was living at the time and started working at a car dealership in Honolulu, where he spent 10 years while raising his son and daughter, as per the report. After he came back from prison, he received a removal order but was allowed to stay in the United States with required annual check-ins with immigration agents, which is typical for individuals that ICE does not consider a priority for deportation, as per the that rule changed earlier this month, and during a meeting with local ICE officials in Hawaii, Park said he was warned that he would be detained and deported unless he left voluntarily within the next few weeks, reported led him to say goodbye to his loved ones and then board a plane all by himself to leave the country he fought for, according to the did Sae Joon Park have to leave the US? Because of old drug possession charges and missing a court date, which led to a removal order. What caused his legal troubles? His drug addiction, linked to untreated PTSD, led to charges and bail jumping, as per the report.
Time of India
13 hours ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Sae Joon Park, US war hero, self-deports after 50 years — sparks outrage over immigration system
After almost five decades of calling the United States home, Sae Joon Park , a 55-year-old US Army veteran , faced the hardest moment of his life, which was not combat, not years battling PTSD or addiction, but having to leave the country he fought for, as per a report. Sae Joon Park's Painful Farewell After Nearly 50 Years in the US Park, who is a green-card holder, had to self-deport to South Korea because of charges related to drug possession and failure to appear in court from over 15 years ago, said that these were the offences that stemmed from years of untreated PTSD, according to an NPR report. During an interview with NPR before his departure, he said, "I can't believe that this is happening in America," adding, "That blows me away, like a country that I fought for," as quoted in the report. His story shows both the challenges of life after combat and the danger that noncitizen veterans face if caught in the legal system, which has become even harsher after the US president Donald Trump administration pushed for record deportations, according to the NPR report. Just when Park was 7 years old, he first came to the United States from South Korea to join his mother in Miami, but within a year, both of them shifted to Los Angeles, where Park had spent the rest of his childhood, as per the report. Live Events Growing up, he always looked up to his uncle, who was a colonel in the South Korean military and that motivated him to enlist in the US Army after his high school got completed, as per NPR report. When he was 20 years old, Park had completed his basic training, and he was deployed to Panama and soon he became part of the 1989 US invasion known as Operation Just Cause to topple Manuel Noriega's regime, reported NPR. ALSO READ: New York City Mayoral Primary: How long will New Yorkers wait for mayoral primary results with ranked choice voting? The Weight of Untreated Trauma Park shared that Panamanian soldiers began to fire and so he started shooting back, but suddenly, he felt a sharp pain in his back, he said, "I realized I was shot," adding, " So I'm thinking, 'Oh my God, I'm paralyzed.' And then thinking, 'Oh my God, I'm not just paralyzed. I'm dying right now,'" as quoted in the report. Then he was flown back to the United States, honourably discharged, and was also awarded a Purple Heart , reported NPR. While his body began to heal but his mind did not, as he revealed, "I was suffering from PTSD severely," adding, "From sleeping nightmares to like, having just fearful thoughts all the time. Couldn't watch horror movies, couldn't hear loud noises," quoted NPR. However, during that time, Park was not aware that he was dealing with PTSD, and he never sought help, and the trauma slowly took a toll, which eventually led him to turn to drugs to cope, according to the report. He shared, "I had to find some kind of a cure for what I was going through," quoted NPR. ALSO READ: Operation Iran a flop: Trump's boastful Tehran strike may have completely missed the mark despite precision Legal Trouble and Deportation Order After that, in his 20s and 30s, he battled a crack cocaine addiction, and one the night in New York, when he was meeting up with a dealer, police arrested him, and he later even skipped one of his court hearings, reported NPR. He said, "I just couldn't stay clean," adding, "So finally when the judge told me, 'Don't come back into my court with the dirty urine,' which I knew I would, I got scared and I jumped bail," as quoted in the report. According to NPR, he was charged with possession of a controlled substance and bail jumping, which also obstructed his chances of naturalization or getting relief from a deportation order . Then he was in prison for three years starting in 2009, and following his release, he moved to Hawaii, where his family was living at the time and started working at a car dealership in Honolulu, where he spent 10 years while raising his son and daughter, as per the report. After he came back from prison, he received a removal order but was allowed to stay in the United States with required annual check-ins with immigration agents, which is typical for individuals that ICE does not consider a priority for deportation, as per the report. Saying Goodbye to the Country He Served However, that rule changed earlier this month, and during a meeting with local ICE officials in Hawaii, Park said he was warned that he would be detained and deported unless he left voluntarily within the next few weeks, reported NPR. This led him to say goodbye to his loved ones and then board a plane all by himself to leave the country he fought for, according to the report. FAQs Why did Sae Joon Park have to leave the US? Because of old drug possession charges and missing a court date, which led to a removal order. What caused his legal troubles? His drug addiction, linked to untreated PTSD, led to charges and bail jumping, as per the report.
Yahoo
14 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Purple Heart veteran shot in action self-deports after old drug charge resurfaces: ‘Can't believe this is happening in America'
A U.S. Army veteran, awarded the Purple Heart for injuries sustained in combat, has self-deported to South Korea after being informed he could no longer remain in America under President Donald Trump's hardline immigration policies. Sae Joon Park, 55, a green card holder who has lived in the U.S. since the age of seven, departed on Monday following a removal order stemming from drug possession and failure to appear in court charges from over 15 years ago. Park attributes these past offenses to years of untreated post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), which he developed after being wounded in action in Panama in 1989. 'I can't believe that this is happening in America,' Park told NPR in an interview before his departure. 'That blows me away, like a country that I fought for.' Having arrived in the U.S. from South Korea in the late 1970s, Park grew up in Los Angeles. Seeking direction, he enlisted in the U.S. Army after high school. 'I wanted direction and [to] better myself and maybe help serve the country,' he explained. At 20, he was deployed to Panama as part of the 1989 U.S. invasion to topple Manuel Noriega's regime. During a firefight, he was shot. 'I realized I was shot,' he recounted. 'So I'm thinking, 'Oh my God, I'm paralyzed.' And then thinking, 'Oh my God, I'm not just paralyzed. I'm dying right now.'' A bullet was miraculously deflected by his dog tag, saving his life. Upon his return to the U.S., Park received the Purple Heart. While his physical wounds healed, the psychological trauma persisted. Unaware at the time that he had PTSD, he did not seek professional help, leading him to turn to drugs to cope. "I had to find some kind of a cure for what I was going through," he told NPR. For much of his twenties and thirties, Park struggled with a crack cocaine addiction. An arrest for drug possession and a subsequent failure to appear in court led to charges that ultimately derailed his chances of naturalization or relief from deportation. 'I just couldn't stay clean,' he admitted. 'So finally, when the judge told me, 'Don't come back into my court with the dirty urine,' which I knew I would, I got scared and I jumped bail.' Although the U.S. offers expedited naturalization for veterans, Park was discharged before completing the required 12 months of service, and the Panama invasion was not officially recognized as a period of hostility, leaving him ineligible. Park served three years in prison starting in 2009, during which he lost his desire for drugs. After his release, he moved to Hawaii, found work, and focused on raising his son and daughter. Having completed his prison term, he was served with a removal order but was initially allowed to remain in the U.S. with annual check-ins with immigration officials. However, under the Trump administration, circumstances shifted this month. During a meeting with local Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials in Hawaii, Park was informed he would be detained and deported unless he left voluntarily. He was given an ankle monitor and three weeks to arrange his affairs. 'People were saying, 'You took two bullets for this country. Like you're more American than most of the Americans living in America,'' he told Hawaii News Now. After spending his final days with friends and family, including his 85-year-old mother, whom he believes he may never see again, Park booked a flight to South Korea – a country he barely remembers from his childhood. Under the watchful eyes of ICE agents at Honolulu airport, he shared tearful goodbyes with his loved ones. Despite the profound circumstances of his departure from the country he fought for, Park remains resolute. 'Even after everything I went through, I don't regret joining the military or getting shot,' he said. 'It's part of my life, my journey. It's made me who I am today.'
