When Sae Joon Park orders pancakes and walks past soldiers in uniform at Camp Humphreys, the sounds and sights feel familiar. For a few hours, hearing the English language and navigating the sprawl of the U.S. Army garrison south of Seoul, it feels as though he has returned home. But the gates of the base are guarded, and once he steps outside, he is thousands of miles away from the country he spent nearly five decades calling his own.
Park, 56, is a Purple Heart recipient and a veteran of the U.S. Army. He is also one of a growing number of noncitizen veterans who have been expelled or forced to self-deport under the Trump administration’s intensified immigration crackdown. After 49 years in the United States, Park returned to South Korea last June—a country he had not lived in since he was a child—after immigration officials threatened to arrest him during a routine check-in.
His case has become a flashpoint in a broader national debate over prosecutorial discretion and the moral obligations of a government toward those who bled for it. While the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) points to Park’s criminal record as the justification for his removal, his attorneys and advocates argue that his service and subsequent struggle with combat-related trauma should have earned him the right to remain with his children in the U.S.
The Cost of Operation Just Cause
Park’s journey into the American military began as a search for direction. Having moved from South Korea to Miami at age seven and later relocating to Los Angeles, Park enlisted in the Army shortly after high school. By October 1989, he was stationed at Fort Clayton in Panama, just as the U.S. Launched Operation Just Cause to depose the drug-trafficking dictator Manuel Noriega.
During the operation, Park’s platoon raided the home of a woman described as Noriega’s “witch,” who reportedly performed occult rituals for the leader. The mission turned violent quickly. In a firefight outside the residence, Park was shot twice—once in the spine and once in the lower back. He was dragged to safety, bleeding heavily and struggling for breath, before being airlifted to a hospital in San Antonio.
He was awarded the Purple Heart in a bedside ceremony, but the physical wounds were accompanied by invisible ones. Returning to civilian life, Park suffered from what he would later recognize as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). In the early 1990s, awareness of combat trauma was limited, and Park felt unable to seek professional help. He turned to marijuana to blunt the panic and nightmares, a path that eventually led to harder substance abuse.
“The drugs just took over everything,” Park told CNN. “It ruined my marriage… it kind of destroyed my life all the way through 40 years old.”
The Legal Trap: Aggravated Felonies and Deportation
Park’s legal troubles peaked in 2007 when he was arrested for drug possession in New York. While on probation, fear of failing a drug test led him to flee to Hawaii, missing a court appearance. Though he eventually turned himself in, he was convicted of second-degree bail jumping.
Under federal immigration law, second-degree bail jumping is classified as an “aggravated felony.” This designation is a critical legal pivot. it generally bars lawful permanent residents from seeking a cancellation of removal and strips immigration judges of the leeway to consider mitigating factors, such as military service. Because of this classification, an immigration judge issued a removal order for Park in 2010.
For 15 years, Park lived in a state of precarious stability. He was granted “deferred action,” a form of prosecutorial discretion that allowed him to work legally and remain in the U.S. Despite the standing removal order, specifically citing his status as a Purple Heart veteran. However, the Trump administration’s shift in enforcement priorities changed the landscape. In April, the administration rescinded Biden-era guidance that instructed ICE to treat military service as a significant mitigating factor.
During a routine check-in last June, an ICE officer informed Park that his deferred action was no longer guaranteed and threatened immediate detention. To avoid handcuffs and a detention center, Park reached a deal with officials: he would wear an ankle monitor and self-deport within three weeks.
The Road Back to the United States
Park left behind his 29-year-old son and 25-year-old daughter, packing his life into two suitcases and a golf bag. He now resides in Busan, South Korea, where he struggles with a language he cannot read or write and the recurring nightmares of Panama.
His effort to return to the U.S. Is now a complex, three-stage legal battle. Because he is already outside the country, the process is not a simple appeal but a sequence of high-stakes requests.
| Hurdle | Required Action | Potential Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| Criminal Record | Pardon from NY Gov. Kathy Hochul or reduction of charge by Queens DA | Vacates the “aggravated felony” status |
| Removal Order | Petition for an immigration judge to reopen the case | Rescinds the legal order for deportation |
| Re-entry | Application for a visa through a U.S. Consulate | Grants legal permission to fly back to the U.S. |
Legal experts, including attorney Michelle Perez, note that none of these steps are guaranteed. Even if a conviction is vacated, a judge may still decline to reopen the case. If the case is reopened, the bureaucratic process of obtaining a visa from abroad can take years.
DHS has maintained a hard line on the case, stating that “U.S. Military service alone does not automatically grant lawful immigration status, or exempt aliens from the consequences of violating U.S. Immigration laws.”
Disclaimer: This article provides information regarding immigration law and legal proceedings for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice.
The next critical checkpoint for Park is the pending response from the Governor of New York regarding his pardon request and the Queens County district attorney’s decision on the felony reduction. These decisions will determine if Park has any viable path to reopen his immigration case.
Do you believe military service should grant automatic immunity from deportation? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
