After a violinist who has played with high-profile orchestras was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement last week, members of Utah’s music community are rallying in support of his release.
Donggin Shin, 37, who came to the U.S. from South Korea with his father when he was a child, was abruptly arrested at a hotel parking lot while he was on a work trip in Colorado, his attorney Adam Crayk told NBC News. He was placed in ICE detention on Aug. 18. With a hearing slated for early September, his colleagues from the Salt Lake City area are hoping to send a message to the administration and beyond that Shin, who goes by the name John, is a valued part of the community.
“John has been in this country since he was 10 years old and he was brought here by his parents. He didn’t get a choice in the matter,” violinist and conductor Gabriel Gordon said. “He is not somebody that is taking from the community, but is giving.”
A senior Department of Homeland Security official said in response to NBC News’ questions about Shin, “Our message is clear: criminal illegal aliens are not welcome in the United States.”
Shin, who works a day job in telecommunications but has played with the prestigious Utah Symphony and Ballet West, is currently being held at the Denver Contract Detention Facility in Aurora, Colorado, according to an ICE database — more than 500 miles away from his home.
According to charging documents, Shin was identified by ICE’s Fugitive Operations Team, which is generally focused on apprehending immigrants who have committed serious crimes and are considered threats to national security. In Shin’s case, the arrest was prompted by an old misdemeanor impaired driving offense that occurred while Shin was navigating his father’s battle with brain cancer, Crayk said.
“We are literally having fugitive ops and Homeland Security Investigations, which are two law enforcement agencies that focus on really terrible, terrible things, relegated now to looking for people like John,” Crayk said.
The senior DHS official did not elaborate on the details of Shin’s arrest but noted that his history includes a DUI conviction.
“Shin entered the U.S. on a tourist visa on September 3, 1998,” the official said in the statement. “This visa required him to depart the U.S. by March 3, 1999.”
According to Crayk, DHS’ account of Shin’s immigration history omits some details. After Shin and his father entered the country on a tourist visa, his father eventually switched to a student visa, under which Shin, a dependent at the time, was also covered, the attorney said.
Years later, Shin became a DACA recipient. However, due to the 2020 impaired driving conviction, Shin lost his DACA protections, leaving him without lawful status for the last four and a half years, Crayk said. Records show that Shin pleaded guilty to the misdemeanor offense, served his probation and the matter was resolved.
On the day of his arrest, his wife, DaNae Shin, with whom he has two stepchildren, received a panicked phone call, she wrote on social media. It happened to be her birthday, she said.
“I got a call from John– ‘Honey, I don’t have much time. I’ve been arrested by ICE and they are sending me to a detainment center. I love you and the kids, I will be okay, please call our attorney’ and then he was rushed off the phone,” Shin wrote. “John is not a criminal, he is an amazing husband, father, and person, and I will do whatever it takes to bring him back home.”
While Shin has long been eligible for a green card, Crayk said his family was struggling financially and marriage-based green card fees run around $2,375.
“At the time he married his wife, DaNae, his father died of brain cancer and his wife lost her job,” Crayk said. “So they went through extreme financial crisis, and they’ve been scrimping and saving since that time.”
Since hearing the news, Gordon and several other musicians have been playing at the state Capitol each day, determined to continue doing so to raise awareness until Shin returns home. Gordon, a conductor and violinist for Ballet West, said he’s known Shin for almost a decade and “would do anything” for the fellow violinist and his family. He described Shin as a “top-shelf violinist.”
“He’s got an incredible technique,” said Gordon, who’s also concertmaster of Chamber Orchestra Ogden. “Even more than that, he takes his technique and brings his soul to it. He brings that joy of music-making to the entire community.”
Robert Baldwin, director of orchestras at the University of Utah, where he is also a professor, said he was shocked and angry at the news. Baldwin’s friendship with Shin stretches back more than 15 years to when the violinist began his undergraduate studies at the school. Baldwin said that Shin showed grit early on.
“He was not the top violinist when he arrived. He had a lot of raw talent, and he asked what he needed to do to be, for instance, in the top orchestra,” Baldwin recalled. “He worked his way up. By the time he was a graduate student, he was the concertmaster, meaning the first violinist of the top orchestra.”
Baldwin also said that as Shin progressed, he attempted to create an inclusive environment for his fellow musicians.
“He helped other students acclimate to university life, whether it was a freshman or a new graduate student,” Baldwin said. “I really like the fact that he didn’t take a leadership role and just wear that as a badge and put himself on an ivory tower above everyone else.”
Gordon hopes Monday’s performance in support of Shin conveys a clear message.
“We’re hoping that all that we’re doing is showing just how valuable he is to this community and why he belongs here,” he said. “He absolutely belongs here.”
