TOLEDO, OHIO — It has been about 16 months since Andrew Jung’s parents left the United States for Korea, and for the most part, Andrew has gotten used to life without Mom or Dad. For more than a year now, Andrew has been living with the family of Robert Flamm, the principal of Emmanuel Christian School, which Andrew attends. He keeps himself busy with school and extracurricular activities, managing to maintain an A average, while working a part-time job and playing on the golf and basketball teams.

Although Andrew spends most of his time at the Flamms’ house, his personal affairs are watched over by his legal guardian, Leonard Jessop. Jessop keeps close tabs on Andrew, dispersing the weekly allowance provided by Andrew’s parents, keeping track of the teen’s finances and grades, and pursuing the Jungs’ ongoing legal battle.

The Jessops have been friends with the Jungs ever since Andrew and their son Seth were preschool classmates. Dae Hwan and Young Mi first came to Toledo in 1984 on Dae Hwan’s student visa. After completing an undergraduate degree in mechanical engineering at the University of Toledo, the Jungs briefly went to Korea, and then returned to Toledo on another student visa. But Dae Hwan’s petition for a visa continuation was unexpectedly denied. Then, the Jungs failed to attend their deportation hearing because the court notice was sent to an old address. They mistakenly assumed they were in the clear when Dae Hwan began work as a sushi chef and his employers sponsored him for an I-140 work permit. Early in the morning on Feb. 14, 2005, agents with the Department of Homeland Security appeared at the Jungs’ door. After failing to provide proper documentation, Young Mi was taken into custody while Dae Hwan and Andrew feared for the future and tried to keep their situation quiet.

Last summer, Andrew was able to visit his parents, Young Mi and Dae Hwan, in Seoul.

Once the Jungs’ situation became known, many members of the Toledo community rallied to support the family. Jessop, in particular, is incensed by what he views as a serious miscarriage of justice. For more than two years, he has led a campaign on behalf of the Jungs, spearheading petition drives, locating legal counsel for Dae Hwan, and even starting the organization “Citizens in Support of the Jung Family.”

Most recently, Jessop, with the help of two other friends from Emmanuel, filed a pro se appellant’s brief on behalf of the Jungs before the United States Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals. The Jungs no longer have an attorney, since their last attorney asked to be removed from the case, citing difficulties in working with Jessop. Jessop, who feels that the attorney was inept and ill-suited to the case, was not sorry to see him go. The Jungs are now representing themselves. 

The brief, which was filed in the summer of 2006, rests largely upon the argument that the Jungs’ deportation was based on an overly stringent interpretation of the law by the INS (now referred to as U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services).