![Kim "Will" Tae-heung, far right, has been detained by immigration authorities and held at the San Francisco International Airport since July 21, according to the National Korean American Education and Service Consortium. [NAKASEC]](https://www.koreadailyus.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/0731-release.jpg)
A Korean-born scientist who has lived in the United States for nearly four decades remains in immigration custody more than a week after landing at San Francisco International Airport — and he reportedly still hasn’t been told why.
Kim “Will” Tae-heung, 40, a green card holder from Korea, was taken into government custody on July 21 by immigration authorities and has been held at the California airport in “inhumane” conditions, according to civic group National Korean American Education and Service Consortium (Nakasec).
According to advocates, he has been held in harsh conditions with limited access to sunlight, sleep or legal counsel — a case that has sparked outrage and national attention amid the Trump administration’s ongoing immigration crackdown.
Kim, whose mother is a U.S. citizen, has lived in the United States for 35 years and is currently a Ph.D. student in biomedical sciences at Texas A&M University. He was returning from Korea after attending his brother’s wedding, according to Nakasec.
Kim’s attorney told ABC News they were not told the reason for his detention, while the Customs and Border Protection (CBP) pointed to a past drug charge. The lawyer said that while Kim was charged with possessing a small amount of marijuana in 2011, he had fulfilled community service.
His lawyer added that he has faced difficulties in talking with his client as well as getting answers from the federal government.
Kim is staying in a location that had no access to sunlight where the lights are constantly on, and had to sleep on floors and chairs, according to Nakasec.
The organization argues that Kim is being held “captive without his basic constitutional rights,” with federal authorities repeatedly denying his requests for legal counsel.
If confirmed that Kim was denied the right to speak to his lawyers, this would be a violation of his constitutional rights under the Fifth and Sixth Amendments, which guarantees individuals’ rights to legal representation and due process.
BY KIM JU-YEON [kim.juyeon2@joongang.co.kr]
