Utah violinist released from ICE detention on bond

A Utah violinist who has played with high-profile orchestras has been released on bond after being detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement last month.

Donggin Shin, 37, was apprehended by immigration authorities in a hotel parking lot while he was on a work trip in Colorado and placed in ICE detention on Aug. 18. His father brought him to the U.S. from South Korea when he was a child and he lives in Salt Lake City, according to his attorney, Adam Crayk.

Shin, who goes by the name John, was held at the Denver Contract Detention Facility in Aurora, Colorado — more than 500 miles away from his home — according to an ICE database. He was released on $25,000 bond on Tuesday.

“I never thought I would have to feel what it’s like to be shackled on my ankles and my wrist, feeling like some kind of a serious criminal, as if I have murdered someone,” Shin said at a press conference Friday, according to KSL-TV, an NBC affiliate based in Salt Lake City.

“I was absolutely terrified. Obviously, I cried all day,” he added.

Shin was held for a total of 17 days and is now wearing an ankle monitor, according to Crayk.

Shin was identified by ICE’s Fugitive Operations Team, which is generally focused on apprehending immigrants who have committed serious crimes and are considered national security threats, according to charging documents.

A spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

In response to previous questions about Shin, a senior Department of Homeland Security official told NBC News: “Our message is clear: criminal illegal aliens are not welcome in the United States.”

The official added that Shin had a DUI conviction. Records show the matter was resolved after Shin pleaded guilty to the misdemeanor offense in 2020 and served his probation.

Crayk, Shin’s attorney, told NBC New in a previous interview that his client’s father was battling brain cancer at the time of his prior arrest.

“My father was losing a battle to a Level 4 glioblastoma brain tumor. He had limited time to live,” Shin said, according to KSL-TV. “I fell into a depression during that time and the impaired driving followed.”

Shin entered the U.S. on a tourist visa on Sept. 3, 1998, which “required him to depart the U.S. by March 3, 1999,” according to DHS. But Crayk previously told NBC News that this timeline is incomplete, as Shin’s father switched to a student visa, which conferred status onto Shin at the time.

Crayk said Shin became a DACA recipient years later, but lost his DACA protections due to his 2020 conviction. He has remained without lawful status for the last four and a half years.

Shin works in telecommunications but has played with the prestigious Utah Symphony and Ballet West in recent years.

Musicians have been playing at the state Capitol each day, determined to raise awareness until Shin returns home.

Shin’s wife, DeNae Shin, thanked the Salt Lake City community for its support over the last few weeks.

“During those really dark times where I was feeling such despair, it was really those letters that kept me going,” she said.