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South Korean man detained during green card interview; wife speaks out
KTLA ^ | December 8 2025 | Angelique Brenes

Posted on 12/09/2025 5:34:52 AM PST by TheDon

A routine green card interview in Los Angeles ended with federal immigration agents detaining a 39-year-old applicant, according to his wife, who says the encounter halted their effort to secure his permanent residency.

Xelena Diaz and her husband, Taeha Hwang, arrived at a downtown Los Angeles federal building on Oct. 29 expecting a routine appointment. The pair married earlier this year and believed their immigration meeting would be, in Diaz’s words, “quick and easy.” Instead, Hwang was taken into ICE custody after officials determined he was in the country without proper documentation.

...

Hwang, who was born in Korea and brought to the United States at three months old, is now being held at the Adelanto ICE Detention Center as he awaits potential release on bond. Diaz said her husband unknowingly missed an immigration court date in May 2024 regarding a prior conditional visa because he had changed addresses and never received the notices.

The Department of Homeland Security, in a statement provided to KTLA, said Hwang “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.” DHS said Hwang will remain in ICE custody while immigration proceedings continue.

...

(Excerpt) Read more at ktla.com ...


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; News/Current Events; US: California
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Another sympathy story about an illegal alien who has an outstanding deportation order against him.

What do you think? Should we give him a break?

More ICE please!

1 posted on 12/09/2025 5:34:52 AM PST by TheDon
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To: TheDon

Yes. just put some ICE on it!


2 posted on 12/09/2025 5:37:58 AM PST by TonyM (Score Event)
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To: TheDon

Keep your paperwork in order, people!


3 posted on 12/09/2025 5:39:04 AM PST by Uncle Miltie (Communism and islam: failed in every country in modern history.)
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To: Uncle Miltie

EXACTly. And why, if he was 3 months old when he arrived, did he qualify for a student visa?


4 posted on 12/09/2025 5:41:20 AM PST by jagusafr ( )
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To: TheDon

Another success story.


5 posted on 12/09/2025 5:41:47 AM PST by 9YearLurker
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To: TheDon

Some would like each alien cherry picked based on productivity, family etc. The word illegal still plays into anyone here illegally. My neighbors son just married a Mexican girl who earned her citizenship and knows more about the history of the US than most natural born citizens. Loves the US, Trump and the freedoms she now has to make her way.


6 posted on 12/09/2025 5:44:28 AM PST by albie
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To: TheDon
My girlfriend's a Korean American (US citizen) who's a huge supporter of Trump. But she got very angry when she heard of what happened at that Hyundai plant a few months ago and my guess is that she'll be angry about this as well.

However,a couple of years ago we went to Korea to visit her family and I must say that the hoops through which I had to jump getting a visa (the website was incredibly difficult for me) and while I was there were incredible. But I jumped through them and unless I'm mistaken I didn't violate any of their laws while I was there.

7 posted on 12/09/2025 5:45:33 AM PST by Gay State Conservative (Import The Third World,Become The Third World)
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To: Uncle Miltie
Diaz said her husband unknowingly missed an immigration court date in May 2024 regarding a prior conditional visa because he had changed addresses and never received the notices.

Keep your paperwork in order, people!


Maybe he did. My story is similar. A married a Canadian woman. When we filed our paperwork, it was all sent back to us, claiming the Canadian marriage license was missing. The license was included in the packet they returned to us!

We almost had to start all over again, because of a rule change. In a twist, the long term veteran near retirement woman at the window was in a hurry to make us start over. I appealed to her superior, a young black lady who spoke properly, was polite and respectful, and knew her stuff. Not every black hire is a DEI hire,

Finally, we gave notice of a move from Connecticut to Illinois, and provided updated address information four months in advance. While in Illinois, we received a forwarded card for a hearing in Connecticut that was occuring the NEXT DAY. It literally took a Congressman (the good Don Manzullo) to get back on track in Illinois. Things went better there. I think the Chicago office really liked interviewing an educated American and his proper, well-spoken, respectful Canadian wife.

Anyway, paperwork issues can ALWAYS be on the government side.
8 posted on 12/09/2025 5:49:57 AM PST by Dr. Sivana ("Whatsoever he shall say to you, do ye." (John 2:5))
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To: TheDon; SaveFerris; gundog
"missed an immigration court date in May 2024 regarding a prior conditional visa because he had changed addresses and never received the notices"


9 posted on 12/09/2025 6:08:38 AM PST by Larry Lucido (Donate! Don't just post clickbait.)
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To: Dr. Sivana
I have huge respect for the Korean people (see Post #7). They're honest,hard working and law abiding. If this guy honestly screwed up somehow (yes,aliens should always have their paperwork in order) and assuming that that's his *only* "violation" I would hope that he wouldn't be expelled from the country.

As I tell my girlfriend we need *more* Koreans and *more* Japanese immigrating here and *fewer* Mexicans...Guatemalans...Somalis...Paskistanis,etc!

10 posted on 12/09/2025 6:11:34 AM PST by Gay State Conservative (Import The Third World,Become The Third World)
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To: TheDon

Sounds like someone didn’t get more than one notice.

Sounds like someone didn’t bother to pay attention to their situation.

Sounds like someone didn’t bother to give a crap if they followed the rules or not, since no one else was.

Sounds like someone is going to start living the ‘long-distance’ relationship.


11 posted on 12/09/2025 6:15:25 AM PST by greenbrier
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To: All

In an operation as large as the one now underway there are bound to be borderline cases and even mistakes made. But compare that to the colossal mistake of letting in 30 million illegal aliens who range from opportunists to outright criminals looking to do harm.

It’s going to be difficult for a few legitimate immigrants but surely by now everyone who thinks they may face a challenge to what they believe to be legal status will be on their guard to check their actual status, this is perhaps the third case I’ve read about where somebody claims not to have received notice of past court appearances required. Those who could in theory be in such a position probably need to check everything out and not walk into a situation like this one.


12 posted on 12/09/2025 6:16:34 AM PST by Peter ODonnell (Do not go gentle into that good night; rage, rage against the dying of the light -- Dylan Thomas)
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To: TheDon

I suspect Xelena Diaz is an anchor baby and should also be deported. It’s a marriage of convenience.

All illegal aliens must be removed from the USA, by any means necessary, no exceptions.


13 posted on 12/09/2025 6:17:53 AM PST by Flavious_Maximus (Tony Fauci will be put on death row and die of COVID!)
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To: TheDon

It WAS quick and easy.


14 posted on 12/09/2025 6:29:42 AM PST by fruser1
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To: TheDon

Baloney. Post office forwards mail if you provide new address. He had no intention of ever going to hearings.


15 posted on 12/09/2025 6:32:20 AM PST by Hattie
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To: TheDon

More ICE indeed


16 posted on 12/09/2025 6:33:31 AM PST by Vaduz (?.)
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To: TheDon
…. issued a final order for removal from an immigration judge over a year ago.”

Once again, the left - and the media (apologies for being redundant) - would ignore the law in their interests.

17 posted on 12/09/2025 6:41:43 AM PST by logi_cal869 (-cynicus the "concern troll" a/o 10/03/2018 "/!i!! &@$%&*(@ -')
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To: Gay State Conservative

“However,a couple of years ago we went to Korea to visit her family and I must say that the hoops through which I had to jump getting a visa (the website was incredibly difficult for me) and while I was there were incredible. But I jumped through them and unless I’m mistaken I didn’t violate any of their laws while I was there.”

Korea doesn’t require a visa for short term visits.


18 posted on 12/09/2025 6:42:06 AM PST by TexasGator
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To: TheDon

What is not reported, is many of these “sob stories” are resolved in reasonable ways.


19 posted on 12/09/2025 6:45:37 AM PST by marktwain (----------------------)
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To: TheDon

Here’s what they should do, and I’m not kidding. Go to Korea, both of them. Apply for his documentation at the nearest U. S. embassy. Get documents, come back. Easy peasy. Might it take months or longer? Sure, but they’re in a committed marriage so it shouldn’t be too much of a burden, should it? I posted a few days ago about a woman I knew who married an illegal alien and that’s exactly what they did (Mexico, not Korea). She lived in Mexico for 6 months during the process. Now he’s legal and everybody is happy.


20 posted on 12/09/2025 6:50:00 AM PST by suthener ( I do not like living under our homosexual, ghetto, feminist government.)
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