The poignant case of Sae Joon Park, a decorated U.S. Army veteran and Purple Heart recipient, has ignited a fierce debate, drawing the attention of prominent lawmakers who question the Department of Homeland Security’s decision to order his “self-deportation” to South Korea. After more than five decades of living in the United States, Park’s forced removal highlights the complex and often harsh realities faced by immigrant veterans who have honorably served this nation.
Park’s journey to becoming an American soldier began at the age of seven when he immigrated to the U.S. from South Korea. Growing up in Los Angeles, he embraced American life, eventually enlisting in the U.S. Army at 19. His selfless service included being seriously wounded in Panama, an act of valor that earned him the prestigious Purple Heart, solidifying his deep connection to the country he considered home.
Despite his distinguished military service, Park’s life took a tragic turn due to legal troubles stemming from a bail-jumping conviction in New York, which was later deemed a felony. This, coupled with misdemeanor drug charges, led federal authorities to revoke his green card. Upon his release from prison, immigration officials issued a removal order, setting in motion the chain of events that would ultimately lead to his attempted deportation.
For the past decade, Hawaii had been Park’s sanctuary, where he raised his now-grown children and was employed at Aloha Kia. More recently, he had also taken on the profound responsibility of caring for his elderly mother, who is battling the early stages of dementia. This established life was abruptly disrupted when he was given a mere month to prepare for self-deportation, a directive accompanied by the ominous placement of an ankle bracelet and threats of forcible detention should he fail to comply.
In a desperate bid to return to his life and family in Hawaii, Park, alongside his lawyer Danicole Ramos, is appealing to the Queens County District Attorney’s Office in New York. Their hope is to retroactively reduce the bail-jumping conviction, a move that could potentially reopen his removal case in New York Immigration Court. However, his return hinges on the federal government granting humanitarian parole, as his current removal order legally bars him from re-entering the United States for a decade.
Assistant Homeland Security Secretary Tricia McLaughlin has publicly defended the agency’s actions, citing Park’s “extensive criminal history,” which includes previous misdemeanors for illegally possessing a firearm and assault. McLaughlin’s statement echoed the administration’s firm stance: “criminal illegal aliens are not welcome in the U.S. If you come to our country and break our laws, we will find you, arrest you, and deport you. That’s a promise.”
However, U.S. Sens. Mazie Hirono of Hawaii and Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut have vehemently condemned DHS’s approach, sending a letter expressing their outrage. Both members of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee, they highlighted the callousness of the administration’s statement, asserting that it “ignores the struggles that many veterans face after their service; approximately 11% of veterans’ first visit to a Veterans Affairs medical clinic is related to substance use disorder,” directly addressing Park’s past struggles with addiction.
The plight of deported veterans like Park underscores a broader, long-standing issue within the U.S. immigration system. With as much as 5% of active-duty military personnel being noncitizen immigrants, the question of how to handle veterans facing deportation has been debated for over a decade with little resolution. A 2024 University of California, Berkeley School of Law study further exposed the severe obstacles deported veterans encounter in accessing their earned benefits through programs like the VA Foreign Medical Program and humanitarian parole.
In their pointed letter to Secretary Noem, Senators Hirono and Blumenthal demanded crucial information from DHS. They sought data on the number of veterans deported under the current administration’s immigration crackdown, guidance provided on cases involving veterans with histories of PTSD or addiction, and any alterations to the criteria for removing immigrants under deferred action or supervised release orders, emphasizing the need for transparency and accountability.
