‘He’s just a light’: Wife of Utah musician in ICE custody says he’s remarkably optimistic
Sep 3, 2025, 4:40 PM | Updated: Sep 5, 2025, 2:47 pm
John Shin pictured playing the violin. (Courtesy Danae Snow)
(Courtesy Danae Snow)
SALT LAKE CITY — After 17 days in custody at a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility, a Utah violinist could be released within days, according to his lawyer. But according to his wife, it can’t come soon enough.
Press conference held at the Stowell Crayk office at 3 PM on September 5.
John Shin, a prominent violinist in Utah’s music community and originally from South Korea, was detained in August in Colorado while on a business trip. Shin has a master’s degree from the University of Utah and has performed with the Utah Symphony and Ballet West since his schooling.
Shin has also been married to an American woman, Danae Snow, for four years. Snow said the past two weeks have been brutal, and she’s had little contact with her husband.
“He doesn’t have a pillow, he doesn’t have a blanket. There’s no access to outdoors. There’s no courtyard,” she told KSL NewsRadio on Wednesday. “There’s nothing outside at all. It is all completely contained. They have lockdowns and counts multiple times a day. It takes about two or three hours to wait in line for a microwave to just get a cup of ramen.”
Despite the terrors he described, Snow said he’s been a source of strength for their family.
“In circumstances that would make me cry every day, he’s still the person who’s being strong for our family,” she said.
Through tears, Snow said he has even taken to helping others inside.
“From when he’s been able to call, he said there’s a few 18-year-old kids there who have no family and no support, and he’s been trying to look out for them,” she said.
Shin’s attorney, Adam Crayk, has said Shin’s family has applied for a green card, but it could take years before he gets one. Regardless, Shin could be out on bond and back in Utah by Friday, Crayk said, pending a long-shot filing by federal immigration prosecutors.
In the meantime, Snow will be eagerly awaiting to be reunited.
“He is just a bright light,” she said. “I know that’s cheesy for me to say too, but I really mean it. I think the community who’s been writing letters, you know, you can see that there’s consistency — that everyone would say the same thing. He’s probably the most optimistic person I’ve ever met in my life.”
