The Other ICE Crackdown
By Kaila Yu
Arrests of Asian and Pacific Islander immigrants in California rose more than tenfold in a year, often at routine check-ins and almost always far from the public eye.
Chang Yeon Jo came to America from South Korea two decades ago on a visitor visa, settling in Gardena where she worked as a custom tailor and dutifully paid her taxes. Last May Jo married a U.S. citizen and took the opportunity to make her residency official by applying for a green card. Instead, at her final application interview with immigration authorities in June, ICE detained and sent her to the Adelanto ICE Processing Center.
Jo, nicknamed “Auntie Jo” for her warmth toward others, received some special help: Korean American influencer Ed Choi learned about her case and brought attention to it on social media, launching a GoFundMe for her legal fees, which has raised more than $27,000. Choi alleges that guards tackled Jo, causing injuries that put her in a wheelchair. “Chang Yeon Jo needs to be released immediately,” Choi demanded during numerous Instagram posts over the summer.
