Hundreds of Korean workers detained in Georgia to file lawsuit against ICE

Hundreds of Korean technicians who were swept up in an Immigration and Customs Enforcement raid at a Hyundai–LG Energy Solution battery facility in Georgia are now preparing legal action against the agency, alleging they were wrongfully detained and subjected to abusive treatment. The raid took place in early September, and according to industry sources as well as a recent ABC News report, about 200 of the detained workers plan to sue ICE, accusing the agency of racial profiling, civil rights violations, and unnecessary force. They intend to seek financial compensation.

The workers were part of a larger group of 475 people arrested on Sept. 4, 317 of whom were Korean nationals. ICE described the operation as aimed at identifying unauthorized workers. But many of those taken into custody — including experienced engineers employed legally at the massive EV battery plant — had valid work visas and were authorized to be in the United States.

One of the engineers, identified only as Kim, told ABC News that the lack of explanation from authorities has been deeply troubling. He said the arrests and the weeklong confinement at an ICE detention facility in Folkston, Georgia, left him shaken. Agents, he recalled, seized their phones and shackled them at their wrists, ankles, and waists before transporting them without any clear information about what was happening. He described the ordeal as frightening and degrading, saying the treatment made them feel like violent criminals rather than legally employed specialists.

Conditions inside the detention center were also described as harsh. Detainees were placed in overcrowded rooms holding as many as 80 people, forced to sleep on moldy mattresses, and given foul-smelling water to drink. Toilets offered no privacy, and the rooms were cold and unhygienic. Several workers also said they were mocked racially by some guards, who made remarks about North Korea’s leader or mimicked slanted eyes to ridicule them.

The group was released a week later, on Sept. 11, without any charges. Despite that, many of those held say the emotional impact of the detention has lingered. They insist they want accountability and for the official record to reflect that they were innocent and lawfully present.

Hyundai Engineering and LG Energy Solution, which employ many of the workers involved, said the lawsuit is being brought by individuals and that the companies themselves are not participants in the legal effort.

Source: The Korea Times