How did the U.S. government allow a baseball player convicted of three crimes in Asia obtain a work visa? $$$

… Jung Ho Kang case disturbing

This should have been an example of an American president railing against an immigration system that allows criminals to enter the country and be given a work visa. Except that in this case, it was the Trump administration that granted a baseball player who was convicted of three criminal charges in his home country of South Korea to enter the U.S.

In addition, this man was charged with sexual assault in Chicago in a case that was never resolved.

So much for the tough new immigration laws.

Yet, that is what happened with a major league baseball player named Jung Ho Kang. According to a MajorLeagueBaseball.com story in late April, “… Kang was granted a work visa by the United States government and re-entered the U.S.” Yes, granted a work visa by the United States government. After three convictions for driving under the influence, one of which he was sentenced to jail but had the sentence suspended, the U.S. allowed him to sign another work visa. After his employed had been negligent in signing the first one.

Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD)

In 1980, a mother decided that enough was enough. She decided to form an organization that would do the following: end drunk driving, help fight against drugged driving, support the victims of these violent crimes, and prevent underage drinking. That is now the mission of Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD), which notes on its website that in 1980, more people in the U.S. died from drunk driving than died in war. “Today, those fatalities have been cut in half, despite a number of roadblocks and setbacks along the way,” MADD notes on the website.

Some may argue that this is not a serious crime. MADD has fought against that perception, using statistics to buttress that argument. Their stats indicate that every 51 minutes, someone is killed in the U.S. by a drunk driver. Every two minutes, someone is injured in a drunk driving crash. “Drunk Driving is still the #1 cause of death on our roadways.”

That is why DUIs are routinely used to deny visas to potential immigrants to the U.S. The damage to families and individuals has been horrific. While many complain about the damage done by illegal drugs in the U.S., it is a legal drug that has inflicted the greatest damage on the country: Alcohol. That leads to the sad story of Jung Ho Kang.

Jung Ho Kang and his work visa

The first part of this story is that I have really liked Jung Ho Kang as a baseball player. After having played professional baseball in Korea for a number of years, he was signed by the Pittsburgh Pirates in late 2014 and reported to spring training in 2015. He had an outstanding rookie season and over two seasons he hit .273, with a .355 on-base percentage. He had 36 home runs and 120 RBIs in 229 games for the Pirates during those two seasons.

On Dec. 2, 2016, he was arrested for drunk driving in South Korea, eventually being convicted of that crime. That was bad enough, but the authorities discovered that he had also obstructed the investigation. The person who was riding with him in the accident said that he, not Kang, had been driving the car, which was not true. In addition, subsequent investigations discovered that the Pirates had signed a work visa for Kang despite his having two previous DUIs in South Korea. That is a criminal violation of U.S. immigration law.

KDKA-TV explained in a piece in 2017 that obtaining a new visa under Trump’s alleged “tougher” laws could be problematic. "The biggest [problem] is his visa, because under President Trump’s new tougher rules, DUI is cause for rejection, as well as deportation. But immigration lawyers KDKA spoke with believe Kang will probably get special treatment." Ah, ha, yes those tough immigration rules only apply to those who cannot afford to but their way back into the country. Others receive "special treatment." For the common people seeking to immigrate to this country, they would not have a chance. However, the Pirates spent  tens of thousands of dollars in an effort to bring back their player, in whom they have a significant investment.

Does Kang deserve a second chance?

Kang became a fan favorite of the Pirates’ faithful during his rookie season because of his work ethic, his enthusiasm, and his strong play. I was one of them, and I would love to see him kick the alcohol problem. He went to rehab as part of an agreement with MLB; however, the number of people who stay sober after rehab is not very high, particularly those with three drunk driving violations.

However, I hope that he can kick this. That is not the question, however. The question is the administration of justice in the U.S.

Equal justice?

The problem is whether or not Kang should have been granted another work visa by the Trump administration. The truth is that he would never have been considered for entrance into the country without the money spent on big-time lawyers who worked for the Pirates on this deal. Others may argue that he will never be able to drive in the U.S. anyway, so why the big deal. However, he does know how to drive, and he could drive a car belonging to someone else.

If he were an American citizen and lived in this country, I would be rooting for him. What I am not rooting for is the process of justice in the U.S. He is allowed to be here, and the business that lied on his original visa is escaping prosecution by governmental authorities. How much money was paid to bring this man to the U.S.?

Conclusion

The immigration system in the U.S. has been problematic for centuries. However, if the government on one hand says that we must stop criminals from entering the country, which is a good thing, that same government must ensure that justice should administered uniformly.

With Kang, it has been an abuse of the process, and that is my problem. Also bothersome to me is the unresolved case for sexual assault in Chicago. All of that would have kept other potential immigrants out of the country, but not in this case, which is outrageous.