\n<\/p>\n
\u201cIt spotlights the urgent need for accountability and transparency in federal detention practices and upholds the fundamental rights of those who call America home,\u201d the organization, which organizes around Asian American immigrant issues, said.<\/p>\n
Lee called the case a \u201cdouble whammy\u201d because of Kim\u2019s role as a Lyme disease researcher.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat you\u2019re seeing here is an individual who is, as a result of the administration\u2019s crackdown, not able to participate in really critical scientific research to develop a vaccine for a disease that impacts the lives of millions of people,\u201d Lee said. \u201cThat\u2019s why I think this case has particularly significant implications for the future.\u201d<\/p>\n
Kim\u2019s detention comes amid a broader ramp-up of immigration enforcement under the Trump administration. In recent months, immigration attorneys have warned that lawful permanent residents \u2014 like Kim \u2014 risk being detained if they travel abroad, according to NPR.<\/a><\/p>\n Since Trump took office in January, ICE arrests in the San Francisco area of responsibility have increased 70% compared with the last six months of the Biden administration, according to analysis<\/a> by the San Francisco Chronicle<\/em>.<\/p>\n \u201cAs an immigration lawyer, to see this type of thing happen is staggering,\u201d Lee said. \u201cEvery day there\u2019s some new Rubicon of horrors, which is being crossed.\u201d<\/p>\n KQED\u2019s <\/em>Brian Krans<\/em><\/a> contributed to this story<\/em>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n