Immigration attorneys report that detainees held at San Francisco International Airport are being restricted from speaking with their lawyers, creating significant obstacles to legal representation. According to interviews with multiple lawyers, the restriction occurs in a windowless holding area located in the international terminal, where international travelers are detained after returning from trips abroad.
Tae Heung "Will" Kim, a 40-year-old green card holder who has lived in the United States since age 5, was held for seven and a half days in the holding room after returning from his brother's wedding in South Korea. Kim's detention was triggered by a marijuana misdemeanor on his record. During his detention, Kim was allowed only a few short phone calls—all to his wife, and all monitored by border agents to ensure he was not speaking with his attorney. His lawyer, Karl Krooth, was only able to reach Kim after he was transferred to a long-term detention center.
Crooth described the isolation as "horrible" and explained the practical legal consequences. "If someone is so isolated from their lawyer and they can't tell their story, how can the lawyer even begin to develop a solution to the problem?" Without access to his client, Crooth could not obtain signatures or fingerprints needed to release records from government agencies or file a habeas petition—one of the most common legal tactics used to challenge unlawful detention. Christine Raymond, another lawyer who has represented people held at the airport for multiple days, said she could not reach her clients despite multiple attempts, describing the situation as "like a black box for us attorneys."
The holding area, officially called an "in-transit lounge" by airport officials, is tucked away inside the international terminal, out of sight of the approximately 148,000 travelers who pass through SFO daily. According to lawyers, former detainees, and some elected officials, the facility more closely resembles a jail than a traveler amenity. Detainees have reported being forced to sleep on bench-style couches and having no access to attorneys while interrogated by immigration officials.
Ghassan Shamieh, an immigration attorney, warned that detainees under these conditions may be pressured into signing documents without understanding the consequences. "If they sign a piece of paper, they give up their green card," Shamieh said. The legal vulnerability is heightened because the international terminal, as a port of entry, is treated differently under law—non-citizens held there are not deemed to have entered the United States and therefore do not have the same right to attorney access they would have once inside the country.
The restriction stems from longstanding Customs and Border Protection policy prohibiting non-citizen travelers in their custody from accessing an attorney during primary or secondary inspection. Under the current Trump administration, immigration agents have intensified nationwide targeting of travelers. According to reporting by the San Francisco Chronicle, dozens of people are held in airport detention centers across the country, including at SFO. Many are green card holders who have had minor legal issues—individuals who would not have been targeted under previous administrations.
The detention conditions and communication restrictions have prompted concern from attorneys and advocacy groups, though no specific timeline for policy changes has been announced.
