Domestic Violence Survivor and Mother Faces Deportation in Yolo County, CA
ICE Field Director Craig Meyer
****Thank you for your outpouring of support for Nan-Hui Jo. Unfortunately, the jury came back with a guilty verdict. While we are deeply saddened by this miscarriage of justice, we need your support now more than ever. Please follow this link to our updated petition find out how you can continue to help Nan-Hui: bit.ly/standwithnanhui***
In Solidarity,
Advancing Justice - Asian Law Caucus (AJ-ALC)
Korean American Coalition to End Domestic Abuse (KACEDA)
Immigrant Youth Coalition (IYC)
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Nan-Hui Jo, a survivor of domestic violence, may be just days away from permanent separation from her six-year-old daughter.
In 2009, Nan-Hui fled with her child to South Korea, her home country, after physical and emotional abuse at the hands of her then-partner and child’s father. On two occasions in August 2009 and October 2009, Nan-Hui called the police in Sacramento after her child’s father physically abused her. After Nan-Hui left her child’s father, he reported her for kidnapping. In July 2014, when she returned to the United States, she immediately was arrested for alleged child abduction.
For the past seven months, Nan-Hui has been separated from her child and continues to be detained at Yolo County Jail in Woodland, CA. Her first trial ended in a hung jury in December 2014, and her second trial began last Friday. After the trial, Nan-Hui faces imminent deportation and permanent separation from her daughter.
Nan-Hui is also a victim of ICE’s systematic deportation apparatus that has deported over 2 million individuals during President Obama’s administration. Nan-Hui’s case highlights the dysfunction within ICE, which forcibly separates 1,100 families a day. Although Nan-Hui has a U Visa application on file to recognize her status as a victim of crime, ICE continues to seek Nan-Hui’s transfer into immigration custody for deportation. Read more about her case here.
TAKE ACTION NOW TO HELP NAN-HUI:
1. Sign this petition for Nan-Hui directed to ICE Field Director Craig Meyer.
2. Call ICE Field Director Craig Meyer at (415) 844-5512 and press #4 to ask that ICE exercise its prosecutorial discretion and drop Nan-Hui’s case.
Sample Script: “I am calling to ask Director Meyer to drop the immigration hold against Ms. Nan-Hui Jo (A 098 906 641) and allow her to reunite with her six-year-old daughter. Ms. Jo is a survivor of domestic violence and her case should be considered under the parental interests directive. I ask that ICE exercise its prosecutorial discretion and drop Ms. Jo’s deportation case.”
3. Raise awareness on social media about Nan-Hui's case. Tweet about it and spread the word using hashtags #StandWithNanHui, #WeSurvived, and #Not1More. Speak out and tell us your stories! As we stand with Nan-Hui, we stand with all survivors of domestic violence—especially immigrant, incarcerated, and women of color survivors. Follow us on Twitter at @StandWithNanHui.
In Solidarity,
Advancing Justice - Asian Law Caucus & Korean American Coalition to End Domestic Abuse (for a more complete list of organizations that have signed on to support Nan-Hui, please click here: http://www.kace
Petition by
To:
ICE Field Director Craig Meyer
From:
[Your Name]
Dear Director Meyer,
I write to you as a concerned community member regarding Nan-Hui Jo (A 098 906 641), a mother and domestic violence survivor.
In 2009, Ms. Jo fled with her child to South Korea, her home country, after physical and emotional abuse at the hands of her then-partner and child’s father. On two occasions in August 2009 and October 2009, Ms. Jo called the police in Sacramento after her child’s father physically abused her. After Ms. Jo left her child’s father, he reported her for kidnapping. In July 2014, when she returned to the United States, she immediately was arrested for alleged child abduction. For the past seven months, Ms. Jo has been separated from her child and continues to be detained at Yolo County Jail in Woodland, CA. Her first trial ended in a hung jury in December 2014, and her second trial began last Friday.
Ms. Jo has no prior criminal charges that would make her a priority for deportation. Because there is an ongoing custody dispute, if ICE were to intervene and deport Ms. Jo, it could yield in permanent separation between mother and child. Moreover, Ms. Jo’s case falls squarely into ICE’s parental interests directive from August 23, 2013, which require that the agency’s practices do not interfere with an individual’s parental rights.
For these reasons, I ask you to exercise your prosecutorial discretion and drop the charges and ICE hold against Ms. Jo.
Thank you.