Last week, I wrote about Nan-Hui Jo’s case. A survivor of years of domestic violence at the hands of her former partner which included both physical and emotional abuse, Nan-Hui Jo escaped with her daughter Hwi to South Korea after her American work visa expired. After six years, Jo applied for a travel visa to allow her American-born child travel to the United States to tour schools while Jo’s own permanent resident application was pending.
However, Jo’s former partner, Jesse Charlton, had filed child abduction charges against Jo, and when Jo arrived in America, she was arrested. After her first trial ended in a hung jury, Jo was retried last month with additional threats of deportation added by ICE while Jo’s former partner was awarded full custody of their child.
Jo’s case ignited Asian American and domestic violence advocates through social media. A Twitterstorm held last Wednesday garnered numerous tweets through the hashtags #StandWithNanHui and #WeSurvived. Numerous activists also changed their social media profile pictures in solidarity with Nan-Hui Jo, and NBC News covered the story. Members of Korean American Coalitio to End Domestic Abuse (KACEDA) organized court watches, and maintained updates from the trial.
With both sides resting their cases, the jury in Jo’s trial deliberated over the weekend to decide Jo’s fate.
A few minutes ago, members of KACEDA notified social media that a unanimous guilty verdict was returned.
unanimous guilty verdict. waiting to see if judge will lower sentence #StandWithNanHui
— Stand with Nan-Hui (@standwithnanhui) March 3, 2015
Although the community was afraid that ICE would immediately arrest Nan-Hui Jo to begin deportation procedures following a guilty verdict, Jo’s judge has instead chosen to delay sentencing. From Facebook,
JUDGE AGREED TO SEND THE CASE TO PROBATION. This means that this delays her sentencing for the judge to review the decision. They’ll be compiling a pre-sentencing report in the meantime, and have a decision on April 1st, Dept 4, at 1:30 pm. WE NEED TO PACK THAT COURTROOM. Basically the jury decided unanimously that she was guilty but the judge didn’t reach a sentence today, so we don’t know what the formal charges will be (felony, etc.) just that they reached a guilty verdict today.
She’ll spend the next 30 days in custody, ICE won’t take her. She will stay in custody in Yolo and ICE won’t be allowed to take her in the meantime.
Nan-Hui Jo’s advocates are continuing to ask the community to apply pressure to ICE by calling (415) 744-1530 or tweeting @wwwicegov and asking them to drop the deportation of Nan-Hui Jo.
Update: The Asian Law Caucus (@aaaj_alc), which has been supporting Nan-Hui Jo in her defense against the child abduction charges, sent out this email:
BREAKING –
It was just announced that Ms. Nan-Hui Jo was found guilty in her trial for alleged child abduction. We are outraged at this decision and recognize that this is a miscarriage of justice.
At this moment, we must continue to call ICE Field Director Craig Meyer at (415) 844-5512 (press 4 and leave a message after the beep) CBP: Field Operations Director, Brian Humphrey. (415) 744-1530 Ext. 234. and urge them to exercise prosecutorial discretion and drop the ICE hold against Nan-Hui. Nan-Hui may just be days away from permanent separation from her six-year-old daughter through her unwarranted immigration hold.
As a community, we have to keep fighting for Nan-Hui and all survivors of domestic violence – especially immigrant, incarcerated, and women of color survivors.
Update II: Supporters are asking that you take a minute to do the following:
- Sign this petition targeting ICE and CBP, asking them to halt the deportation proceedings against Nan-Hui.
- Donate to this legal fund set up for Nan-Hui Jo so that she can appeal the verdict, fight the deportation order, and fight for custody of her daughter.
- Tweet your support to #StandWithNanHui, #WeSurvived, and #Not1More.
Update III: Supporters are being asked to attend a rally on Thursday, March 5 10am-11am PST at 33 New Montgomery St. (please see Facebook event for more details).
