Iraq Veteran Who Grew Up in Portland Arrested by ICE

By Samantha Matsumoto, The Oregonian

08 July 17

n Iraq war veteran who grew up in Portland is being held by federal immigration agents in a Tacoma detention center and could be deported to South Korea.

Chong Hwan Kim, 41, has lived in Portland since his family immigrated with documentation when he was 5, his friends said.

But federal immigration authorities say Kim was arrested because of criminal convictions.

Immigration authorities detained Kim on April 5 because of a recent first-degree arson felony conviction, said Rose Riley, an Immigrations and Customs Enforcement spokeswoman. Kim later told friends that agents arrested him after he got a call telling him to come downtown to discuss his probation.

But Kim's friends argue it's wrong to deport a man who grew up in and went to war for the United States. Jordan Meyers, who met Kim through a Department of Veterans Affairs support group, worries what will happen to his friend if he is sent to South Korea, where he does not speak the language and has no family.

"He came to our country legally. ... He fought for our country. He bled with us," Meyers said. "Does that not earn for him the right to live here?"

KOIN (6), which first published Kim's story, reported he served in the National Guard for more than five years and served as a rifleman in Iraq. He received a general discharge under honorable conditions, the media company reported.

But when Kim returned from combat, he struggled with post-traumatic stress disorder and substance abuse, said Jason Phebus, who also met Kim in the VA support group.

In the past five years, court records show Kim has been convicted of multiple crimes, including third-degree robbery, first-degree burglary and, most recently, first-degree attempted arson in July 2016.

Kim told police he threw a Molotov cocktail at an Ace Hardware Store at 3660 Southeast 122nd Ave. in February 2016, according to a probable cause affidavit. He also admitted to using methamphetamine three days earlier, the affidavit said.

After the arson conviction, a judge told Kim that if he got into more legal trouble, his immigration status could be in jeopardy, Phebus said.

But Kim was working to get better, Phebus said. He was on probation for the arson charge and hadn't been in legal trouble since. Kim was a well-respected member of the VA support group, Phebus said, the sort of guy who'd drop anything to listen to a friend in need.

"He is probably one of the backbones of this group," he said.

But in April, Phebus stopped hearing from Kim.

Last week, Phebus and Meyers learned Kim had been detained by ICE.

Kim later told Phebus over the phone that ICE agents detained him after he got a phone call summoning him downtown to discuss his probation status. Kim was scheduled to get a new probation officer soon, he told Phebus, and didn't think anything of it. When he got downtown, though, federal agents arrested him.

Kim remains in federal detention while his case undergoes review, said Riley, the ICE spokeswoman.

In the meantime, Phebus, Meyers and other veterans in the support group are working to raise money for Kim's immigration attorney. A judge recently denied Kim's request to be released on bail, Phebus said.

Meyers questions the ethics of deporting a veteran who is struggling with PTSD.

"He's a member of our community. And now we're going to throw that away because he has some legal issues," Meyers said. "I question whether that's right."