Youngjin is a young, 30-year-old engineer from South Korea. In his brief visit to the United States, he got caught up in a very sad affair. He was arrested in Georgia only six days into his intended five-week training journey. This traumatic ordeal has since led him to wonder if he can ever trust his host country. Youngjin was able to travel to the U.S. through the U.S.’s 90-day visa waiver program. As a sub-contractor for LG, he trained public staff how to operate highly-specialized high-tech equipment.
Things took a drastic turn on what was supposed to be just another day in the field. Youngjin and more than 300 other Korean workers were arrested in a predawn immigration raid. The group had gathered for a brief break when law enforcement officers, armed and with red lasers from their weapons, began apprehending them.
We had just come out for a short recess and I was really startled to see hundreds of people, including elected officials, armed with firearms. Chul-yong, another engineer who lived through what Youngjin did, said, “As Koreans, we thought that they were just here to catch criminals. Then suddenly, they started arresting us.”
Upon their arrest, authorities took Youngjin to the Folkston ICE Processing Center, a provisional detention space operated by ICE. There, he soon discovered he was quarantined in a cold room over 60-70 other detainees. These were the conditions under which they were held, with no blankets even supplied for the first two days. Youngjin described how he struggled to stay warm, stating, “I was wearing short sleeves, so I put my arms inside my clothes and wrapped myself in a towel to try to stay warm at night.”
The impact of their detention extended beyond their physical comfort level. It took an emotional toll as well. Youngjin began having panic attacks during the months of uncertainty before and after his detention. “I had a panic attack. I just stood there trembling,” he said, revealing the psychological strain he endured during those harrowing days.
Initially, Youngjin was unsure how many days he would be imprisoned in the detention center. As he walked around its bleak landscape, his paranoia started to deepen. He was confused and terrified, not knowing for how long he would continue to be confined away from the outside world. Unfortunately, his sense of security and trust in the United States has been irrevocably shaken by this experience.
“My trust in the US has been deeply shaken. I don’t think it’s a trustworthy partner for South Korea,” Youngjin expressed, highlighting the broader implications of his ordeal beyond personal distress.
Once back in South Korea, Youngjin reconnected with his fellow engineers. Fittingly, the moment was bittersweet as he held back tears and hugged his young family. Even after welcoming them with smiles and hugs in the airport, he knew that he was dead inside. “If I can’t do this, what can I do? How will my family live?” he lamented, reflecting on the uncertain future that lay ahead after such an unsettling experience.
Chul-yong, who shared similar experiences during the detention, described the conditions further: “The worst part was the water. It smelt like sewage. We drank as little as possible.” The community improvised aggressively for warmth and comfort in their limited space. In search of instant relief, they microwaved packaged loaves of bread and held them against their bodies through the night.
“It was so tight, I couldn’t touch my face with my hands,” Chul-yong added, illustrating the harsh realities faced by detainees during their time in custody.
As news of Youngjin’s detainment spreads, it raises important questions about the treatment of international workers in the United States and the protocols surrounding immigration enforcement. The engineers’ ordeal underscores the extreme dangers Americans may face when working abroad. More ominously, it stands as a stark warning to anyone seeking to do their job in good faith abroad.