Since the start of the Donald Trump administration on January 20, 2025, a total of 10 Korean nationals have been arrested for immigration violations in California, accounting for approximately 27% of all Korean nationals arrested nationwide during the same period, according to data obtained by the UC Berkeley School of Law.
The statistics were acquired through a Freedom of Information Act request and compiled from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) records, based on each field office’s jurisdiction. Between January 20, 2025, and June 11, 2025, 37 Korean nationals living in the U.S. without legal status were arrested nationwide.
In California, eight Korean nationals were arrested in Los Angeles, with one each in San Francisco and San Diego. Among these, eight individuals had prior felony convictions, and two were detained for violating immigration laws. One person was deported to South Korea on May 6, 2025.
By age, the arrests included four individuals in their 30s, three in their 60s or older, two in their 50s, and one in their 40s. Nine of the arrestees were men, and one was a woman.
Nationally, 25 out of the 37 Korean nationals arrested had previous criminal convictions. Six were awaiting trial for criminal charges, and another six were arrested solely for immigration law violations.
City-specific data showed Los Angeles had the highest number of arrests at eight. Other cities included Hawaii, Dallas, and Atlanta with four each, Newark and Baltimore with three each, and one arrest each reported in San Francisco, San Diego, Chicago, Detroit, Buffalo, San Antonio, Houston, New Orleans, Philadelphia, Boston, and Washington.
Of the total 37 arrests, 11 Korean nationals were deported from the U.S. This included seven removed under administrative deportation orders, three deported for violating the Visa Waiver Program (VWP), and one who voluntarily departed.
BY YOONJAE JUNG [jung.yoonjae@koreadaily.com]
