On June 23, 2025, the story of a decorated military veteran allegedly forced by an ultimatum from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to self-deport from the U.S. spread online. According to numerous posts and videos, Sae Joon Park, a South Korean immigrant who was shot twice in the line of duty in 1989 and was legally in the U.S. on deferred action, had to leave the country after ICE threatened to detain and deport him.
One post on X stated:
ICE forces U.S. Army Purple Heart veteran to deport—after taking 2 bullets in combat.
Sae Joon Park "miraculously" survived being shot in spine—then given 3 weeks to deport to South Korea.
Will miss dying mother's funeral—then his daughter's wedding.
Was legally in U.S. under deferred action as a Purple Heart veteran—after getting clean from a drug addiction arrest brought on by PTSD.
"People were saying 'You took two bullets for this country. Like you're more American than most of the Americans living in America,'" he explained.
Park chose to self-deport after being threatened with detention and deportation by ICE, according to his own account. Numerous interviews and footage showed evidence of his military career as well as his departure from the U.S. ICE confirmed to us that Park was "allowed to self-deport to Korea." As such, we rate this claim as true.
Park's attorney Danicole Ramos sent us the following statement:
Mr. Park and his family are deeply moved by and grateful for the overwhelming amount of support he has received since he was forced to leave the United States by Immigration and Customs Enforcement on June 23. He arrived safely in South Korea on the evening of June 24.
Mr. Park's story is the tragic result of America's broken immigration system and our failure to support our veterans during their times of greatest need.
Mr. Park, in every sense other than on paper, is an American. He swore an oath to support and defend the Constitution of the United States, even though he was not yet a U.S. citizen. He then bravely took two bullets in service to this country, defending the freedoms we cherish. For all that he has sacrificed for this country, Mr. Park has earned the right not only to reside in the United States but also to be recognized as one of its citizens.
An ICE spokesperson did not respond to our question about how Park's status as a veteran and Purple Heart recipient factored into the agency's decision to deport him. ICE sent us a statement from Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin:
Sae Joon Park's extensive criminal history includes convictions for possessing, manufacturing, or selling a dangerous weapon, carrying a loaded firearm in a public place, assault, and criminal possession of a controlled substance.
In 2010 an immigration judge issued him an order of removal. Park's appeal to the Board of Immigration Appeals that same month was dismissed by the Board in April 2011. With no legal basis to remain in the U.S. and a final order of removal, Park was allowed to self-deport to Korea.
President Trump and Secretary Noem have been clear: criminal illegal aliens are not welcome in the U.S. If you come to our country and break our laws, we will find you, arrest you, and deport you. That's a promise.
Park was part of the 1989 U.S. invasion of Panama to topple Manuel Noriega's regime. He told NPR that he was shot with two bullets, one very close to his spine, and subsequently honorably discharged and awarded a Purple Heart. The medal is awarded to serving members of the armed forces who are wounded or killed in action.
In an interview with NPR, Park described being charged with possession of a controlled substance and bail jumping. He had been suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) after his military service and was addicted to drugs for many years. In 2009 he was convicted and served 2.5 years in prison. Upon his release, ICE agents detained him and revoked his green card, according to Hawaii News Now.
While Park received the removal order after his release from prison, he was permitted to stay in the country and do regular check-ins with immigration agents. As a Purple Heart veteran, Park was allowed to stay through "deferred action" as long as he stayed clean and sober, according to Hawaii News Now.
According to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), deferred action is "a discretionary determination to defer removal of an individual as an act of prosecutorial discretion" during which time the individual is "not considered to be unlawfully present" in the country.
But earlier in June 2025, when Park met with ICE officials, he said to NPR they told him to voluntarily leave the country in a matter of weeks, otherwise they would forcibly detain and deport him.
Footage from Hawaiian news outlets, Hawaii News Now and KITV, showed Park saying goodbye to his family at the airport. It also showed a picture of his Purple Heart medal and certificate of recognition.
Danicole Ramos, Park's attorney, told Hawaii News Now, "We have a veteran like Mr. Park, who took a bullet for this country, who fought and swore an oath to preserve and protect the Constitution of the United States, even though he was not a citizen of it [...] Mr. Park is a victim of this poor system where we are not supporting our veterans [...] What can our Congress do to make sure that Mr. Park gets a pathway to citizenship, that we are able to forgive him for his past mistakes."
Footage of Park taken by Hawaii News Now shows him leaving the United States as family and friends bid him goodbye.