Rep. Lawler says he helped secure release of Scarsdale HS grad detained by ICE
She went to an immigration hearing Thursday in New York City regarding her visa. As Go was leaving the courthouse, ICE agents detained her. She was later sent to Richwood Correctional Center in Louisiana, and slated for expedited removal, according to ICE officials.
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Rep. Mike Lawler says he helped secure the release of Yeonsoo Go – a 20-year-old Scarsdale High School graduate recently detained by ICE after an immigration hearing in New York City.
She went to an immigration hearing Thursday in New York City regarding her visa. As Go was leaving the courthouse, ICE agents detained her. She was later sent to Richwood Correctional Center in Louisiana, and slated for expedited removal, according to ICE officials.
Yeonsoo came to Westchester County in 2021 from South Korea on a visa meant for dependents of people coming to the United States on religious assignments, since her mother — an Episcopal pastor — took an assignment at a nearby church.
Monday coverage
Family and friends are celebrating her release.
“I've just been, like, counting the hours. I'm really excited to see her,” Gabriela Lopez, Go’s friend. “I just started sobbing on the phone. I went from speaking to her every single day for four or five years to not knowing if I would ever speak to her until she until we figure this out.”
Lawler says District 88 State Assemblywoman Amy Paulin reached out to him and after, he reached out to Go’s family.
He says there is still more work to be done.
"I think we can get a positive resolution to it, but it'll take a little bit of time, and we'll work through that with Immigration and Customs officials as well as her attorney,” says Lawler.
Lopez shares what she’s most looking forward to.
"Just hugging her. I think that's the first thing, I would just run to her and, like, tackle her to the floor in a hug. Probably not many words will be said. There will be mostly tears,” says Lopez.
News 12 reached out to ICE after learning she is being released. We haven’t heard back.
Late Monday, though, sources close to Yeonsoo's family told News 12 she was transferred again, but family and friends did not know where.
After graduating high school, Yeonsoo went to Purdue University to study pharmacy.
Sources said Monday her current visa does not expire until the end of this year. Assistant Secretary of Homeland Security Tricia McLaughlin said that is not the case.
"Yeonsoo Go, an illegal alien from South Korea, overstayed her visa that expired more than two years ago," McLaughlin wrote in a statement to News 12 before Rep. Lawler intervened. "President Trump and Secretary Noem are committed to restoring integrity to the visa program and ensuring it is not abused to allow aliens a permanent one-way ticket to remain in the U.S. ICE arrested her on July 31 and placed her in expedited removal proceedings."
District 88 State Assemblywoman Amy Paulin was working closely with local elected officials lobbying for Yeonsoo's release. Paulin hopes ICE made a mistake.
"We're shocked they would take someone who was legally here," Paulin said Monday over Zoom, "who was a fabulous student, graduated from Scarsdale High School, went to college. We were just shocked that something like this could happen."
Robert Draper, Yeonsoo's high school honors physics teacher said Yeonsoo was a top student, and a determined leader who does not deserve the treatment she has been receiving.
"I'm just hoping that by shining a little light on the matter, it can accelerate things toward a more judicious end," Draper said Monday afternoon in a Zoom interview.
Assemblywoman Amy Paulin released the following statement:
"I spoke with Yeonsoo Go tonight, and hearing her voice—happy, relieved, and finally free—filled me with emotion I can hardly put into words. She is home, she is safe, and she is so grateful for the outpouring of love and support from this incredible community.
I am overjoyed, moved to tears, and filled with pride in everyone who stood up for Yeonsoo. The pain, fear, and uncertainty she and her family endured over the past five days should never have happened—but tonight we celebrate her freedom and the strength of a community that refused to stay silent.
I want to extend my heartfelt thanks to Senator Chuck Schumer, Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, Congressman George Latimer, Congresswoman Grace Meng, and Congressman Mike Lawler for their swift efforts to help secure Yeonsoo’s release.
Because of this joyous outcome, the vigil and rally planned for this Thursday at 5pm is now cancelled. But the spirit behind it—unity, justice, and compassion—lives on. Let this moment remind us of the power we have when we come together, and of the work we must continue to ensure that no one is unjustly detained in this country."
