A 21-year-old American and South Korean citizen is back in jail in Canada after being removed from the country multiple times.
Junseo Hagh, also known as Ethan Hagh, was handed a 120-day jail sentence on Dec. 11 for violating a deportation order.
It was his fourth deportation order and the fifth time he had been removed from the country, and B.C. provincial court Judge James Sutherland said the court needed to impose a sentence with "serious consequences" to deter law breakers and assure law-abiding citizens and other people subject to the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act.
"It's a message to law-abiding citizens as well as potential violators," Sutherland said.
Hagh, who has not spoken at any of his court appearances because he is "non-verbal," according to his lawyer, Roy Kim, had 43 days left to serve on his sentence on Dec. 11 after getting enhanced credit for time he had already spent in jail.
It's unclear when he was released, but Burnaby RCMP have confirmed he was arrested again on Jan. 16 at Lougheed Mall.
He now faces more charges under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act: one count of unauthorized return after removal in Burnaby on Jan. 8 and one count of failing to appear to determine his right to stay in Canada.
Hagh was scheduled for a bail hearing in Vancouver provincial court Tuesday, but his lawyer asked to have the hearing adjourned to Feb. 4.
Hagh first came to Canada in February 2016 on a study permit and attended Pinetree Secondary in Coquitlam, according to information presented at his last sentencing hearing.
His immigration status first became an issue when his permit expired in February 2021 and he didn't leave.
When the Burnaby NOW reached out to the Canada Border Services Agency in December for information about how Hagh was able to return to Canada five times after being removed, the agency said it is not its practice to provide details on individual cases.
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