A Korean American applicant was arrested by ICE during a marriage-based green card interview at the USCIS Los Angeles Downtown Office on October 29, revealing a pattern of similar interview detentions in recent weeks.
The detainee, Tae-ha Hwang (38) — who arrived in the U.S. at three months old — attended the interview with his U.S. citizen wife Xelena Diaz (29) after marrying in February 2024. The two planned to hold a formal wedding ceremony in Korea next year.
Their interview began at 12:30 p.m., first jointly, then individually. Immediately after Hwang’s solo portion ended, ICE agents entered the room and arrested him on the spot. The action stemmed from a May 2024 in absentia removal order, issued after Hwang failed to update his address following a divorce in 2021, causing him to miss notifications related to the termination review of his prior conditional green card. He later argued that he never received a hearing notice, but DHS declined the explanation, citing the legal obligation to report address changes.
Diaz said she waited in the lobby with no information.
“No one explained anything,” she recalled. “I waited until staff were leaving for the day, and after 4 p.m. finally learned ICE had taken him.”
After the arrest, Hwang spent roughly 30 hours in a temporary holding area next to the USCIS building, where there were no cots or chairs, forcing him to sleep on the floor. He was later transferred to the Adelanto ICE Detention Center, where Diaz said the conditions were “inhumane” —
“He told me the water looked almost white, 60 bunk beds for 120 people, and even men in their seventies with no staff to assist them, so detainees take turns caring for each other.”
Diaz also criticized the manner of arrest, saying it was difficult to understand why it occurred during an interview for family-based residency. She later replaced her initial attorney, who was reportedly unresponsive and said there was no urgency because “he’s not Mexican.”
A turning point came on November 27, when Hwang’s Motion to Reopen was approved. The immigration court scheduled a new hearing for March 27, 2025, which makes a bond hearing possible. A recent federal court decision expanding bond review access for non-criminal immigration detainees may also influence the outcome.
The Korean Consulate in LA has begun providing assistance. Police Attaché Seung-yong Lee stated the first round of support is complete and additional coordination will continue. Diaz said she hopes her husband returns home as soon as possible.
Meanwhile, similar cases are emerging. Regional reporting in San Diego found at least nine marriage-based applicants handcuffed and detained during USCIS interviews in recent weeks, all without criminal records and all adjusting status through citizen family members.
Attorney Habib Hasbini told CBS that since November 12, five comparable arrests have occurred, while other attorneys note that this pattern was not common before. Analysis suggests that for out-of-status applicants, attending a required interview now introduces a direct risk of detention and removal.
BY HANKIL KANG [kang.hankil@koreadaily.com]
