SALT LAKE CITY — Utah violinist John Shin is one step closer to getting his green card after an interview at the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services office in Salt Lake City.
Detained by ICE in August, Shin was held in a Colorado facility before he was released that September. The past several months have been hard for Shin and his wife, Danae, but through it all, music and love have kept them strong.
While Shin was in detention, he heard from Danae about the efforts made by the community to help him, and he was dumbfounded when hearing people had held a benefit concert for him.
“What I’ve learned is that there are more good people than there are bad, and even though times might seem really dark and scary, there are so many good people who will watch out for you, for your family, people who want to help,” said Danae.
Since Shin's release, the couple has continued to find the good in everything, especially after John's green card interview on Thursday morning.
“That is just so exciting, it’s like a huge, huge weight will be lifted," Danae said. "We have so many exciting things to look forward to."
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The Shin's say they're ready for the next steps.
“I’ve been living here for almost 30 years, and today, walking out of that USCIS office, I felt like this is the second chapter of my life, and I felt so relieved,” said John.
The couple wants to share their story to bring hope to others who may be going through something similar.
