U.S. Army Purple Heart veteran forced to self-deport from Hawaii

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - After 48 years in the United States, decorated Army veteran Sae Joon Park left his life and family in Hawaii on Monday, not knowing when he’ll see them again.

He self deported to South Korea, under the watchful eyes of ICE agents. Park tearfully hugged his son, daughter, parents, aunts, and friends at Honolulu airport.

“This really kills me that I just have to drop everything and leave like this,” Park said in an interview with Hawaii News Now before his last day in the U.S.

“They’re all worried about me. They’re like, letting me know, ‘Oh, you’ll be OK in Korea.’ I know I’ll be OK. That’s not what I’m worried about. I’m worried about them.”

Park moved to the U.S. from Seoul when he was 7 years old and had legal permanent residency under a green card.

At 19, he joined the army and fought in Panama during the Noriega war in 1989. He was shot twice during combat and was awarded a Purple Heart for his bravery.

“I got shot in the spine with an AK-47, M16 my left lower back,“ he recalled. ”In my mind, I’m going, ‘Oh my god, I’m shot in the back. I can’t feel my legs. I must be paralyzed.’”

Miraculously, his dog tag deflected the bullet aimed for his spine, saving his life.

Park was honorably discharged and returned to his then-home in Los Angeles, where he suffered from severe PTSD. He turned to marijuana to cope with nightmares and sensitivity to loud noises and moved to Hawaii in 1995 for a better lifestyle. But he became addicted to crack cocaine and struggled for years to get clean.

“Drugs had a big control throughout my life and that’s what eventually got me into trouble with the law and everything,” he said.

In 2009, he was convicted for drug and bail offenses and served two and a half years in prison. When he was released, ICE agents detained him and revoked his green card.

He fought deportation in court and as a Purple Heart veteran was allowed to stay in the U.S. under deferred action, as long as he checked in each year and stayed clean and sober.

Park turned his life around -- he became a loving father to his two children, now in their 20s, and cares for his aging parents and aunts, who are in their 80s.

“These last 14 years have been great, like really proud of myself, proud of my kids, how I’ve been acting and how I’ve been living my life,” he said.

But this month, officials ended his deferred action status and told him he had to leave the country or be detained and forcibly deported. He was given an ankle monitor and three weeks to handle his affairs. He and his family were in shock.

“People were saying ‘You took two bullets for this country. Like you’re more American than most of the Americans living in America,’” he said.

“Let’s say [my daughter] gets married, I won’t be there,” Park said. “Let’s say my parents pass away, I won’t be there. You know, so many things that I’ll be missing. And for sure things are going to happen, I just can’t be there, which is heartbreaking.”

“In every sense of him, he is an American but by paper,” said Danicole Ramos, Park’s attorney, who believes current immigration policy enforcement sparks a deeper conversation about what it means to be an American and a patriot.

“We have a veteran, like Mr. Park, who took a bullet for this country, who fought and swore an oath to preserve, protect and defend the constitution of the United States even though he wasn’t a citizen of it,” Ramos said.

“And now while we’re celebrating this month and the army, and their birthday, we’re also at the same time, turning our back on some of them that have served in the army.”

Ramos says 38% of the U.S. military are non-citizens, and believes thousands are being deported for non-violent crimes.

“Mr Park is a victim of this poor system of where we’re not supporting our veterans,” Ramos said. " What can our Congress do to make sure that we helped Mr. Park get a pathway to citizenship, that we are able to forgive him for his past mistakes and remember his service.“

Park said he takes responsibility for his mistakes, but believes his military service should count for something.

“I get it. I broke the law and everything, but I think this is a little severe what they’re doing to me after I paid my dues after I did my time for the offense that I did,” he said. “I thought I was doing my part to do whatever I have to do to be a good citizen and do everything right to stay in this country.”

Now he’s leaving the only real home he’s known to start over in a place he hasn’t visited in 30 years.

HNN reached out to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services for comment and are waiting to hear back.

If you are serving or have served in the U.S. armed forces and are interested in becoming a U.S. citizen, you may be eligible to apply for naturalization under special provisions of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA).

https://www.uscis.gov/military/naturalization-through-military-service

** Applying for Naturalization

Many military installations have a designated USCIS liaison to help you with the naturalization application process. These liaisons are typically assigned to a specific office (for example, your installation’s community service center, DOS family liaison office or Judge Advocate General). If you are currently serving, ask your chain of command to certify your honorable military service on Form N-426, Request for Certification of Military or Naval Service.

If you have already separated from the U.S. armed forces, you must submit a photocopy of your DD Form 214, Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty, NGB Form 22, National Guard Report of Separation and Record of Service, or other official discharge document for all periods of service.

Mail your completed application and all required materials to:

USCIS
P.O. Box 4446
Chicago, IL 60680-4446

You may also complete your application by creating an online account and filing your Form N-400 online. For more information about filing your application online, visit our Form N-400 webpage.

We will review your application and conduct required security checks, which include obtaining your fingerprints. This can be done in one of the following ways:

If you were fingerprinted for a previous immigration application, we will use these fingerprints, if available.

If residing or stationed abroad, you may submit two properly completed FD-258 fingerprint cards and two passport-style photos taken by the military police or officials with the Department of Homeland Security, U.S. embassy, or U.S. consulate.

You may go to an application support center (ASC) in the United States and submit your fingerprints. If you are a current or former service member, we allow you to submit your fingerprints at an ASC before you file your Form N-400. Be sure to include your A-Number. Please be sure to bring evidence of your prior or current military service, such as, but not limited to your military ID, official orders, enlistment contract and/or discharge documents.

If you have questions regarding your biometrics, you can contact the Military Help Line at 877-CIS-4MIL (877-247-4645, if you are deaf, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability, please dial 711 to access telecommunications relay services). Our representatives are available to answer calls Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Eastern, excluding federal holidays.

We will review your application and send it to a USCIS field office to schedule you for an interview. You can request an interview at a specific office in a cover letter attached to your application or leave the choice of location to us.

The field office will schedule your interview to review your eligibility for naturalization and test your knowledge of English and civics. If we find that you are eligible for naturalization, we will inform you of the date you can take the Oath of Allegiance and become a U.S. citizen.

https://www.uscis.gov/military/naturalization-through-military-service

• Be 18 years old or older;
• Have served honorably at any time in the U.S. armed forces for a period or periods totaling at least 1 year;
• Have submitted a completed Form N-426, Request for Certification of Military or Naval Service, at the time of filing your N-400, if you are currently serving, or a photocopy of your DD Form 214, Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty, NGB Form 22, National Guard Report of Separation and Record of Service, or other official discharge document for all periods of service if you are not currently serving;
• Demonstrate that if separated from service, you were separated under honorable conditions;
• Be a lawful permanent resident at the time of your naturalization interview;
• Meet certain residence and physical presence requirements;
• Demonstrate the ability to read, write and speak English, unless qualified for a waiver or exception;
• Demonstrate knowledge of U.S. history and government, unless excepted;
• Demonstrate good moral character for at least five years before filing your N-400 through the day you naturalize; and
• Demonstrate an attachment to the principles of the U.S. Constitution and be well disposed to the good order and happiness of the United States during all relevant periods under the law, unless waived.
• Resources
• For additional information on eligibility, see USCIS Policy Manual Volume 12, Part I - Military Members and Their Families.
• Naturalization Information for Military Personnel

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