LOWER MANHATTAN — A 20-year-old was detained by ICE just minutes after a routine visa hearing. On Saturday, the detention sparked more protests.

Flowers adorned the fence outside the Federal Plaza Immigration Court as religious and city leaders came out to support the loved ones and supporters of those detained by ICE agents.

One of the latest detainees — 20-year-old Yeonsoo Go, the daughter of beloved Episcopal priest Kyrie Kim and a graduate of Scarsdale High School in Westchester County. The South Korean native moved to New York in 2021 with her mother.

A lawyer close to the case says Go had an application to extend her current visa, which was set to expire in December.

Tricia McLaughlin, Assistant Secretary at the Department of Homeland Security, claims instead that Go “overstayed her visa that expired more than two years ago” and said that “ICE arrested her on July 31 and placed her in expedited removal proceedings.”

Go’s lawyer said Go was ordered to appear in court on Thursday for a procedural hearing on her visa renewal application. The judge gave Go a date to return to court in October, but when she left the building, ICE agents were waiting to arrest her.

“She was with her mother. She was heartbroken. And when she called me at night, later that day, she was breaking down,” said Go’s boyfriend, Leo Chu.

Go spoke to her boyfriend and her friends before the hearing.

“She has been a little nervous given the climate. Now, her fears have come true,” added her friend, Gabriella Lopez.

“Her mother gets regular calls from Yeonsoo and she’s staying at 26 Federal Plaza, which, as we know, is not actually a facility that has showers or beds or hot food. And so the detentions here are not only illegal, but they’re immoral,” said Rev. Matthew Heyd of the Episcopal Diocese of New York.

The Immigration Coalition said that these incidents are increasing in frequency and is offering advice to individuals with upcoming hearings.

“I think it’s critically important that anyone who needs to go to an immigration court hearing call the New York State Office of New Americans and their hotline” said New York Immigration Coalition President and CEO Murad Awawdeh.

It is also important to make sure you create a family preparedness plan and, if possible, work with a lawyer to set up a virtual hearing.

In the meantime, community members hope their demands for Go’s release are heard.