COLLEGE STATION, Texas (KBTX) – A Texas A&M doctoral student, researcher, and green card holder has been detained by immigration officials for more than a week without explanation, according to a report by The Washington Post.
Tae Heung “Will” Kim, a 40-year-old South Korean citizen who has lived in the United States since he was five, was reportedly taken into custody on July 21 at San Francisco International Airport following a two-week trip to South Korea for his younger brother’s wedding. He has reportedly been held since then without access to legal counsel, according to statements from his attorney, Eric Lee, to The Post.
On Tuesday, a spokesperson for Texas A&M University confirmed to KBTX that Kim is a Ph.D. student in biomedical sciences in the College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences and is in good standing with the university.
Officials say he began the program in summer 2021 after earning a bachelor’s degree in ocean engineering from the university in 2007.
According to The Washington Post, immigration officials have not publicly stated the reason why Kim was detained. Lee told the paper that Kim had a minor marijuana possession charge in Texas in 2011, for which he completed community service and later had the record sealed through a nondisclosure petition. Lee believes the incident may be the reason for the detention, but says Kim should qualify for a legal waiver that protects permanent residents from deportation due to minor offenses.
A Korean-born researcher and longtime U.S. legal permanent resident has spent the past week detained by immigration officials at the San Francisco International Airport without explanation and has been denied access to an attorney, according to his lawyer.https://t.co/kU2Wi6zYoV
— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) July 29, 2025
A spokesperson for U.S. Customs and Border Protection told The Post that “this alien is in ICE custody pending removal proceedings.” However, no official explanation has been provided for why Kim has been held beyond the agency’s typical 72-hour window. The report also cites concerns from Kim’s family about his health and access to asthma medication.
KBTX reached out to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for comment on Tuesday and only received an automated out-of-office reply.
Texas A&M has not indicated whether it has been in contact with federal officials or offered support to Kim or his family.
Kim’s attorney and family told The Washington Post they are increasingly concerned about his well-being, noting that aside from one brief phone call, they’ve received only short text messages, possibly relayed by an immigration officer using Kim’s phone. One such message read, “Don’t worry about it.”
“I’m most concerned about his medical condition. He’s had asthma ever since he was younger,” Kim’s mother, Sharon Lee, said. “I don’t know if he has enough medication. He carries an inhaler, but I don’t know if it’s enough, because he’s been there a week.”
The case has drawn attention in part because Kim researched a potential Lyme disease vaccine, work his attorney said could benefit American farmers and outdoor workers. A 2022 article from the Texas A&M University Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences News features a photo of Kim along with fellow researchers discussing their studies on ticks and tick-borne diseases.
Mulenga, William Tae Heung Kim, Dr. Thu Thuy Nguyen, Dr. Alex Kiarie Gaithuma, Dr Hassan Hakimi, and Emily Bencosme Cuevas. Courtesy: Texas A&M University.(KBTX)
“This is somebody whose research is going to save countless lives if allowed to continue — farmers who are at risk of getting Lyme disease,” Lee said.
Lee also told The Post that Kim’s situation raises broader questions about the constitutional rights of long-term residents returning from travel abroad.
“Why detain him when he’s got this waiver that is available to him?” Lee said.
“If the Constitution doesn’t apply to somebody who’s lived in this country for 35 years and is a green-card holder — and only left the country for a two-week vacation — that means [the government] is basically arguing that the Constitution doesn’t apply to anybody who’s been in this country for less time than him,” Lee told the Washington Post.
Late Tuesday, KBTX reached out to the offices of Representative Michael McCaul and Senators Ted Cruz and John Cornyn for comment. KBTX will continue working to learn more about his status and whether his case will move forward in immigration court, and will update this story as more information becomes available.
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