by REERA YOO | @reeraboo
editor@charactermedia.com
It’s been almost a year since Nan-hui Jo was arrested on child abduction charges after fleeing to South Korea with her then-infant daughter to escape from an allegedly abusive relationship. On Thursday, Jo’s supporters rejoiced at the announcement of the mother being released on bond from immigration detention.
“We are incredibly relieved that Nan-Hui has finally been released and is one step closer to resolving this year-long nightmare. It is unthinkable that ICE was days away from permanently separating a mother from her child because of a system that prioritizes deportation quotas over the well-being of a family,” Saira Hussain, staff attorney at Asian Law Caucus, said in a statement. “We must recognize this case within the context of the growing criminalization of survivors of domestic violence and the undocumented community.”
https://twitter.com/StandWithNanHui/status/624232630863572992/photo/1
In 2009, Jo took her daughter to South Korea after her visa expired in hopes of escaping physical and emotional abuse inflicted by her former partner, child’s biological father and Iraq war veteran Jesse Charlton. During the five years Jo resided in Korea, Charlton had filed a complaint with law enforcement, claiming that his girlfriend abducted their daughter and failed to respond to his numerous emails.
On July 29, 2014, Jo was arrested upon landing in Hawaii and was forcibly separated from her daughter, who is currently in the care of Charlton. While she awaited trial on child abduction charges, Jo was incarcerated in Yolo County, Calif. for over nine months.
Her first trial ended in a hung jury last December, but she was convicted to a misdemeanor in her second trial in March. Although she was immediately released due to time served in Yolo County jail, she was later taken into Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody and put behind bars again, this time at Yuba County jail.
Jo was released last Friday on a $1,500 bond issued by a San Francisco immigration judge pending her immigration hearing.
Jo’s case has drawn international support from domestic violence and immigration advocates, who have rallied behind the hashtag #StandWithNanHui. Several organizations, including the Korean American Coalition to End Domestic Abuse and Asian Law Caucus, have supported Jo by fundraising for legal fees, calling on ICE for her release and attending her criminal trials.
In a press release, #StandWithNanHui organizers reiterated that Jo’s release from immigration detention does not mark an end to her legal battles, as her family proceedings are still ongoing. Jo is currently waiting for approval on her U visa and Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) visa applications. Her child abduction conviction is also in the process of being appealed.
Jo’s campaign organizers and legal team plan to hold a press conference next Wednesday, July 29 to mark the one-year anniversary of her arrest.
See Also
Nan-hui Jo Convicted of Abducting Her Daughter
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Featured image by Keshy Jeong and Jio Im, courtesy of Stand With Nan-hui Jo
