Utah community mobilizes violinist detained by ICE

A violinist in Utah performing with major orchestras has been detained by ICE, sparking an outpouring of support from fellow musicians and community members across Salt Lake City.

What happened: John Shin, a University of Utah music graduate who performs with the Utah Symphony and Ballet West, was detained by ICE agents at around 2:30 p.m. on Aug. 18. He was reportedly allowed a mere 30 seconds to contact his family. “Honey, I don’t have much time. I’ve been arrested by ICE and they are sending me to a detainment center. I love you and the kids, I will be OK, please call our attorney,” his wife Danae Snow recalled him as saying to KUTV.

New details emerge: Speaking to FOX 13, Shin’s attorney, Adam Crayk, revealed that the detention stems from an impaired driving conviction from 2020, making him “a priority for immigration” enforcement. “He came in under his father’s student visa originally, has married a United States citizen, and for some reasons that were kind of beyond the control of theirs, weren’t able to file for the green card in a timely fashion,” Crayk said.

Snow, who set up a GoFundMe page to raise funds for legal fees, said the driving incident occurred in 2019 while her husband was “grieving the passing of his father from brain cancer.” She acknowledged her husband’s mistake but emphasized their efforts to make things right. “I know that we’ve been doing everything that we can to make it right, and I hope that as I’ve been able to forgive him, I hope that our community can too,” she told FOX 13.

What community members are saying: Robert Baldwin, Shin’s former teacher and conductor of both the Salt Lake Symphony and Sinfonia Salt Lake, expressed shock over the news. “He’s worked really hard to make an impact and be a part of that community … John is a really unique individual. And I knew that as soon as he showed up as a young freshman and it’s continued to develop to this day. He’s very serious. He is dedicated and committed, and he also has an awful lot of fun,” Baldwin told KUTV.

The broader music community has mobilized support across social media platforms. Composer Sarah Kirkland Snider urged fellow musicians to write character letters, while violin maker Jordan Hess noted that Shin is “the only person in the Salt Lake music community who is universally liked.” Friends have also organized violin performances in the Utah State Capitol rotunda to advocate for his release.

A bond hearing scheduled for next week will determine Shin’s immediate future. In the meantime, Snow and Crayk have offered full refunds to donors who feel uncomfortable about the conviction details.