Noem proven wrong about deporting U.S. veterans at House hearing
Seconds Kristi Noem was proven wrong in deporting veterans at House Homeland Security hearings.
Park Se-joon is once again attracting global attention.
Park, a U.S. military veteran who had lived in the United States for nearly 50 years, was voluntarily deported to South Korea after immigration officials said he would be deported this summer if he did not do so.
“I feel it’s unfair that people who fought for our country are treated like this,” President Park said in an exclusive interview with USA TODAY on Friday, Dec. 12.
Less than 24 hours later, at a hearing at the Capitol in Washington, D.C., Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem faced a barrage of questions related to the department’s immigration efforts, including whether U.S. military veterans were deported in the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown.
Park joined the hearing at the invitation of Democratic Rep. Seth Magaziner of Rhode Island after Noem asked Noem how many U.S. military veterans had been deported.
“We are not expelling American citizens or veterans,” Noem responded.
Magazine Jar profiled Mr. Park, a U.S. Army veteran and Purple Heart recipient who was shot twice while serving in Panama in the late 1980s, and when Nom asked if he would consider Mr. Park’s case, the secretary said he would.
On Friday, almost half way around the world, Park told USA TODAY that her status had not changed and that she would like to return to the United States, but is unsure if that will happen.
“No one contacted me,” Park said.
Who is Park Se Joon? Here’s what you need to know about this veteran and his desire to return to American soil.
Who is Park Se Joon?
Park, who will turn 56 this year, told USA TODAY that he was a private in the Army and graduated from basic training at Fort Benning, Georgia, in September 1989.
That same year, he was shot twice while serving in the U.S. military in Panama.
When did Park Se Joon come to America?
Park came to the United States on a green card from South Korea when he was 7 years old, his attorney Danicole Ramos previously told USA TODAY.
After graduating from high school, he joined the military and was sent to Panama, where he took part in the 1989 operation to overthrow the country’s de facto leader.
He was shot twice during that conflict, was honorably discharged, and received the Purple Heart for bravery.
He previously lived in the Van Nuys neighborhood in the central San Fernando Valley area of Los Angeles, but before his voluntary repatriation to Asia, he lived in Honolulu with his ex-wife and their two adult children, a daughter and a son.
When did Park Se-joon voluntarily leave to Korea?
Park voluntarily deported to South Korea on June 23, 2025.
Park told USA TODAY that he currently lives in Seoul but may soon move to Busan, South Korea’s large port city.
Why did Park Se Joon voluntarily leave?
Magaziner said Park’s removal order stemmed from his addiction, which stemmed from an arrest for a minor drug offense in the 1990s.
Previously, USA TODAY reported that Park, who suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder, turned to drugs to relieve her nightmares and was arrested one night after allegedly purchasing crack cocaine. He then failed a court-ordered drug test and served more than two years in prison, his lawyer said.
Park said she would like to return to the United States someday.
contribution:
Natalie Neisa Alland is a senior reporter at USA TODAY. Contact her at nalund@usatoday.com and follow her at X @nataliealund
