Yeonsoo Go, a 20-year-old Korean-American college student living in New York, was arrested and detained for five days by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents after a routine visa hearing. She was finally released on the evening of the 4th. Go has no criminal or criminal record and was only accused of overstaying her visa, a claim disputed by her lawyer.
Go and her mother immigrated to the United States from Seoul about four years ago on a religious visa. She graduated from Scarsdale High School in Westchester County and completed her freshman year of pharmacy at Purdue University this summer. It is reported that Go returned to New York during the summer break and is applying to switch to a student visa.
On July 31st, Go appeared in court as notified to proceed with the visa change process, but was arrested by ICE shortly after leaving the courtroom and detained in an immigration detention facility on the 10th floor of the building. The New York Times reported that Go has not been charged with any crime.
Although Assistant Secretary of Homeland Security Tricia McLaughlin claimed that Ko Yeon-soo’s visa expired more than two years ago, resulting in an overstay, Ko’s lawyers insisted that her visa was valid until December of this year and that she had never received any notice of expiration.
After five days in detention, Ko Yeon-soo was finally released. This success received bipartisan support. Republican Congressman Mike Lawler stated on X that his office worked closely with federal agencies to successfully secure Ko Yeon-soo’s release. “Her experience once again highlights the urgent need for reform of our immigration system to make due process more accessible.”
Ko Yeon-soo is expected to appear in court again later this month, and her legal team stated that they will actively strive to resolve the case as soon as possible.
