The last Korean man released from detention following a U.S. immigration crackdown in Georgia, has expressed gratitude for the consular and legal assistance he received, saying he will faithfully undergo the trial he requested regarding his detention.
The man, surnamed Lee and in his 30s, was one of more than 300 Koreans held at a detention facility in Folkston in early September following a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) crackdown at a Korean electric car battery plant in Bryan County, Georgia, on Sept. 4.
While the others were released through negotiations between Seoul and Washington, and returned home on a chartered flight home a week after their detention, Lee, who has family in the United States, chose to remain in custody and pursue legal action against it.
Lee was finally released from the Folkston detention facility Friday, a day after an immigration court granted him bail.
“I have received assistance from many people until I was released. I extend my special thanks to the (Korean) consulate and lawyers,” Lee said in a message to Yonhap News Agency on Sunday (local time), his first public message since his release.
“I cannot discuss details since the (immigration) trial is still pending,” he said, adding he will faithfully undergo the proceedings.
His family and company officials welcomed him at the detention facility upon his release. He was taken to a Korean restaurant, where he ate a block of white tofu, a Korean custom for those released from jail, and burst into tears.
A company official said it must not have been an easy choice for him to watch the others leave and remain alone. “But he has borne the situation well, while reassuring his family and others during the detention.”
Lee will undergo trial proceedings on bail.
The company official said Lee was in the process of applying for a green card in the U.S. through family immigration at the time of his detention and was working legally with a work permit from immigration authorities.