Sae Joon Park, a former Korean Army veteran who earned a Purple Heart for his service in the US, is fighting to return home after being expelled from the US under President Donald Trump's immigration crackdown. Park, who self-deported from the United States last summer due to a prior criminal conviction, self-defended after immigration officials threatened to arrest him at a scheduled immigration check-in. His case sparked national attention when lawmakers pressed then-Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem about his criminal record during a congressional hearing about veterans swept up in the crackdown. Despite multiple legal avenues, Park is pursuing a pardon from the governor of New York and a potential process that could take years. His story has sparked debate over whether military veterans should be expelled from their countries, regardless of their legal status or criminal convictions.