This photo shows Hwang Tae-ha, a 39-year-old Korean man, left, and his wife Xelena Diaz. Hwang was taken into custody by Immigration and Customs Enforcement on Oct. 29 immediately after completing his green card interview in downtown Los Angeles. [SCREEN CAPTURE]

This photo shows Hwang Tae-ha, a 39-year-old Korean man, left, and his wife Xelena Diaz. Hwang was taken into custody by Immigration and Customs Enforcement on Oct. 29 immediately after completing his green card interview in downtown Los Angeles. [SCREEN CAPTURE]

 
Concerns are growing in the Korean American community in Los Angeles after it was revealed that a Korean immigrant married to a U.S. citizen has been detained for over 40 days following his green card interview. The case is drawing attention amid the Trump administration’s renewed crackdown on undocumented immigrants during its second term, with some calling the detention unjust.
 
According to local broadcaster KTLA5, 39-year-old Hwang Tae-ha was taken into custody by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on Oct. 29, immediately after completing his green card interview at the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) office in downtown LA. He is currently being held at the Adelanto ICE Processing Center.
 
 
Born in Korea, Hwang came to the United States at the age of three months. He married his U.S. citizen wife, Xelena Diaz, in February, and the couple had expected a routine review of his green card application. However, the situation changed dramatically during the interview when officials discovered he had been residing in the country without proper documentation.
 
“He’s locked up like a dog for 41 days and counting,” Diaz told KTLA5. She added that she was unable to reach him initially for several hours and that Hwang later told her he had to sleep on the floor without a blanket while spending over 30 hours in a holding cell.
 
Conditions at the Adelanto facility, where Hwang is being held, have also sparked concern. According to Diaz, the room holds 140 detainees with 70 bunk beds and has poor ventilation and restrooms that reek of “fecal matter.”
 
Hwang’s detention stems from failing to appear before an immigration judge in May last year. He had previously obtained a conditional green card through an earlier marriage but divorced in 2021, requiring a new review. However, he reportedly failed to update his address after moving, missed his court notice and was ordered to be deported for failing to appear.
 
The Department of Homeland Security stated that Hwang had “illegally overstayed his F-1 student visa, ignored a notice to appear before an immigration judge, broke the laws of this country and was issued a final order for removal from an immigration judge over a year ago.”
 
The Adelanto ICE Processing Center detention facility in Adelanto, California, on July 10. [AFP/YONHAP]

The Adelanto ICE Processing Center detention facility in Adelanto, California, on July 10. [AFP/YONHAP]

 
His detention at the USCIS interview is also under scrutiny. Diaz said that after their joint interview, Hwang was taken in for an individual session, during which ICE officers entered and handcuffed him on the spot, and left without explanation.
 
There was a turning point on Nov. 27, when an immigration court accepted Hwang’s motion to reopen his deportation case. A new hearing is scheduled for March 27 next year, and Hwang may now be eligible for a bond hearing.
 
Given a recent federal court ruling in California that affirms the right of noncriminal detainees to request bond, there is growing optimism that Hwang could be released.
 
The Korean Consulate General in LA has reportedly stepped in to assist. The couple’s story has been posted on the fund-raising platform GoFundMe, where it has raised over $11,000 as of Thursday. The funds will go toward covering Hwang’s bond and legal expenses.
 
Diaz says she hopes Hwang can be released in time for the holidays.
 
“The beauty of America is that anybody can be American, and it was built by immigrants. I feel the conversation that’s being had is not the right one,” she said.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY BAE JAE-SUNG [[email protected]]