Overview

• Kim, a Texas A&M PhD candidate studying a Lyme disease vaccine, was detained by CBP at SFO on July 21 and held in a windowless holding cell with no access to counsel or daylight.
• After more than seven days in airport detention, CBP transferred him to an ICE facility in Arizona, where he now awaits removal hearings.
• His attorneys are pursuing a waiver to challenge his deportation based on a sealed 2011 marijuana possession misdemeanor.
• The case highlights a broader CBP and ICE practice of using minor or outdated drug convictions to trigger removal proceedings against legal permanent residents.
• Legal experts say prolonged airport holds beyond 72 hours and denial of legal rights raise serious constitutional and due process concerns.