Dear Editor
I have been following a story regarding a musician named John Shin, who some years back came over from South Korea on a student visa. He studied at the University of Utah and received a bachelor’s and master’s degree in music performance. He had been here over 20-some years enjoying the benefits of this country. He is raising a family here. Yet… he was still on a student visa.
ICE just picked him up and is threatening to deport him back to South Korea. The music community from Salt Lake, Utah, and various other musician friends, including the very famous musician Mark O’Connor, based out of Nashville, who had collaborated with John Shin on some music, is spearheading a GoFundMe account to help with legal defense and keep Mr. Shin in this country.
Obviously, he’s not the same category as convicted rapists, murderers, or drug runners, yet he broke the law. He’s an intelligent man, went to university, and should’ve thought to himself that maybe he should extend his legal reason to be in this country.
My family are immigrants. We came from Canada in 1963. We waited 3½ years to get our immigration visa to come here. We did the right thing. We got in line, we paid our fees, we did the paperwork, and on April 3, 1963, we finally were permitted legally to come to the United States and immigrate here.
We also had to register as registered legal aliens of this country. At the beginning of every year, January 2, we had to go to the post office to register as legal aliens. That was required by law. We had 30 days to register, or we could’ve gotten in trouble with immigration. My father-in-law had a great expression: “Right is right, even if nobody does it… and wrong is wrong even if EVERYBODY does it!”
I do sympathize with him. There are different levels of breaking the law, but in fact, he still broke the law. I’m sure, with the backing behind him, the music community of Salt Lake City, as well as Mark O’Connor and other musicians, will help the Go-Fund-Me process and get an attorney to help keep him in the country.
My liberal friends are so used to getting their way, saying that there’s no such thing as legal or illegal, and all people want to better themselves and come to our great country.
I do hope Mr. Shin finds peace with his situation and an immigration lawyer and can continue on with his life and enrich our world with his music, but he needs to get his ducks in a row and do the paperwork and do it legally.
Julius G Feher, Perryville
