Tae Heung “Will” Kim, a scientific researcher who has lived in the US since he was 5 and who holds a valid green card, travelled to his native South Korea recently for his kid brother’s wedding.

But when Kim attempted to re-enter the country, immigration officials blocked him at San Francisco International Airport, taking him into custody. He got no explanation and no access to his attorney, Eric Lee, who said his client slept in a chair for seven days. The agency recently confirmed in a statement to the Washington Post that “This alien is in ICE custody pending removal proceedings,” according to the Tribune News Service.

An accused shoplifter would have more rights than have been afforded Kim, who is researching a vaccine for Lyme disease as he pursues a PhD at Texas A&M University. A toxic combination of secrecy, arrogance and an unsettling recklessness is pervading a newly emboldened Immigration and Customs Enforcement as it pursues President Donald Trump’s goal of mass deportation at any cost.

Agents’ identities are secret; they appear in public........

© The Frontier Post (Editorial)