Purple Heart veteran forced to self-deport after 48 years in ‘country that I fought for’

A decorated Army veteran was forced to leave his family in Hawaii for South Korea on Monday after immigration officials ended his deferred action status and gave him three weeks to exit the country or face detention.

What happened: Immigration officials revoked 55-year-old Sae Joon Park’s deferred action status earlier this month, requiring him to wear an ankle monitor while choosing between voluntary departure or detention. “I was just very lucky to deport myself, remove myself, because they were ready to lock me up,” he told Island News. Park’s deportation stems from drug possession and bail-jumping convictions from 2009, which he attributed to untreated trauma from his military service. Immigration law classifies bail jumping as an aggravated felony, making removal proceedings nearly certain regardless of the offense’s non-violent nature.

Wounds for the country: Park moved to the U.S. from South Korea at age 7 and joined the Army at 19, deploying to Panama during the 1989 Operation Just Cause. He was wounded twice in combat, including a spinal injury where his dog tag deflected the bullet, earning him a Purple Heart. After his discharge, he developed severe PTSD and used drugs to manage nightmares and noise sensitivity. Following his prison sentence, he established a new life in Hawaii over 14 years, maintaining sobriety while raising two adult children and caring for elderly relatives. “I can’t believe this is happening in America,” he told NPR. “That blows me away – like a country that I fought for.”

Painful goodbyes: Park’s 85-year-old mother, who brought him to the U.S. decades ago, has early-stage dementia and struggles to understand the situation. “I have to accept the fact that this is probably the last time I’ll see her,” Park told NPR before his departure. Danicole Ramos, his attorney, argued that Park represents American ideals despite his citizenship status. “We have a veteran who took a bullet for this country, who fought and swore an oath to preserve, protect and defend the constitution of the United States even though he wasn’t a citizen of it,” Ramos told Hawaii News Now. Ramos cited statistics showing noncitizens account for 38% of military naturalizations, with thousands potentially facing removal for non-violent offenses.

Park must now begin anew in a country he has not visited in three decades, uncertain about future contact with his American family.