#StandWithNanHui and Stop the Deportation! Reunite a Domestic Violence Survivor with Her Daughter!

The verdict is in.

After an aggressive retrial in Yolo County, CA, Nan-Hui Jo, devoted mother and survivor of domestic violence, has been convicted on charges of “child abduction.” Supporters of Nan-Hui are outraged and deeply saddened over this verdict. In light of this conviction, deportation proceedings may be imminent, which would result in permanent separation between Nan-Hui and her daughter.

Nan-Hui Jo (A 098 906 641) is currently at high risk for deportation. In 2009, Nan-Hui fled the United States with her infant daughter, Vitz Da, to escape the physical and emotional abuse of the child’s father,  Upon her escape, her ex-partner filed child abduction charges, for which Nan-Hui was tried twice. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) have continued to leverage their institutional power to maintain an immigration hold and pursue deportation, which would permanently separate Nan-Hui from her daughter. 

When In July 2014, Nan-Hui re-entered the United States for a 3 month visit to Hawai’i with her daughter. At the airport, she was immediately arrested and forcibly separated from her child. Nan-Hui was tried five months later on alleged child abduction charges, resulting in in a hung jury..  Ignoring all evidence of domestic violence–including two calls to the police in Sacramento after her child’s father physically abused her and testimony from her former partner admitting to physical assault and threats–the Yolo County District Attorney aggressively pursued a retrial. Assistant District Attorney Steve Mount tried to paint Nan-Hui as an abuser in his cross examination, accusing her of leaving the country with her child in a malicious attempt to retaliate against her ex-partner. To smear her credibility, Mount refused to acknowledge Nan-Hui as a survivor of domestic violence, accusing her of being a “tiger mom” who was “clearly a very capable woman” and who knowingly exploited welfare and immigration systems. We see the District Attorney’s remarks for what they are: racist, anti-immigrant, and sexist tropes that have no place in a “justice system.” 

1. Sign this petition for Nan-Hui directed to CBP Support Director Ricardo Scheller and ICE Field Director Craig Meyer. 

In Solidarity,
Korean American Coalition to End Domestic Abuse (KACEDA)
Immigrant Youth Coalition (IYC)
Advancing Justice – Asian Law Caucus Advancing Justice (ALC)

(for a more complete list of organizations that have signed on to support Nan-Hui, please click here: http://www.kaceda.org/standwithnanhui/)