The family of a Korean-born violinist who has lived in the US since he was child are pleading for his release him after he was detained by ICE.
John Shin, 37, a well-known violinist from Utah, was taken into custody last week by ICE agents despite living legally in the US for many years.
DaNae was taken aback when she received an unexpected call from John, who urgently informed her: ‘Honey, there’s little time. I’ve been taken into custody by ICE and will be sent to a detention facility. I love you and the kids. I’ll be alright, but please contact our lawyer.’
‘Then he was rushed off the phone. I have no more details, no more information than those short 30 seconds,’ she wrote on social media at the time.
In an update shared on a GoFundMe campaign created by DaNae, she explained that her husband was apprehended due to a flag on the ICE system stemming from a ticket he received for driving under the influence.
‘After discussing with our legal team, I discovered that ICE chose to detain John due to a DUI ticket he received in 2019, during the period he was mourning his father’s death from brain cancer,’ she stated.
‘Though our attorneys are optimistic about securing his release on bond, I felt it was important to inform you immediately about the reason behind his detention.’
John Shin, a well-known violinist from Utah , was taken into custody last week by ICE agents despite living legally in the US for many years
Shin’s wife revealed that he was swept up by ICE because he was flagged on the agency’s system due to a ticket for driving while impaired
Shin, a father-of-two, lived in the country using various visas and after granted DACA status following his father’s death in 2019.
The accomplished violinist has played for the Salt Lake Symphony, Utah Symphony and Ballet West.
He has received an outpouring of support from friends and family since his detainment.
Gabriel Gordon, a family friend and fellow musician, expressed to Fox13 that although he initially felt ‘shock,’ he has encountered numerous similar incidents under President Donald Trump’s immigration policies.
‘At the same time, not surprising… This is the direction that our country has been headed in,’ he said.
Gordon said he has known Shin for over a decade and connected with him through their shared love of music.
‘It’s been my honor and privilege to be his stand partner, as well as conduct him in ensembles,’ he said.
To highlight John’s situation, Gordon has been performing violin at the Utah Capitol and intends to continue daily until the matter of his friend’s arrest is resolved.
Shin’s family say they have been left in limbo as they wait for his case to be resolved while he is in detention, and said his arrest ‘has left us scared and overwhelmed’
Shin’s attorney, Adam Crayk, said that the violinist originally came to the US through his father’s student visa when Shin was 10, before eventually marrying a US citizen.
Crayk told Fox13 that for reasons beyond their control, the family ‘weren’t able to file for the green card in a timely fashion.’
His former college professor, Robert Baldwin, added to Fox13 that he remembers John as a bright and eager student at the University of Utah’s College of Fine Arts.
‘He would get excited about the next piece we were going to play and go and research different recordings and come with ideas,’ he said.
Shin’s family say they have been left in limbo as they wait for his case to be resolved while he is in detention, and his wife wrote on the fundraising page that his arrest ‘has left us scared and overwhelmed.’
‘We rely on him every day, and his absence has created a void that is felt by everyone who knows him. The legal process is expensive, and we need help to pay the retainer for his legal defense so that he has a fair chance to come home.’
