Over 300 Koreans Detained in Georgia Launch Legal Action Against Trump Administration

Administrative Claims Filed Against Nine Federal Agencies, Including DHS and ICE
"Emotional Distress from Unlawful Detention and Abuse of Procedures"

Last year, more than 300 Korean workers who were arrested and detained by immigration authorities at the construction site of the Hyundai Motor Group-LG Energy Solution joint battery plant in Georgia, United States, have initiated legal proceedings seeking compensation for damages from the Trump Administration.

U.S. President Donald Trump. White House

According to CNN on the 15th (local time), a Korean-American attorney representing these workers has begun filing Administrative Claims against nine U.S. federal agencies, including the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Customs and Border Protection (CBP), Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and the Department of Justice. The attorney plans to complete all claim submissions by the end of the year.

An Administrative Claim is a procedure required under the Federal Tort Claims Act (FTCA) before filing a compensation lawsuit against the federal government. A claimant must present damages caused by the government’s wrongful acts and specify the amount of compensation sought and request a settlement. If the federal agency denies the claim or fails to reach a decision within the statutory period, a lawsuit may be filed in federal court.

The Korean workers have now begun legal procedures seeking compensation from the Trump Administration, arguing that there were unlawful actions during the crackdowns and detentions at the time. The representative attorney disclosed to CNN evidence showing that the first claimant’s documents had been mailed to the relevant federal agencies.

The first claimant, identified as Mr. Kim, claimed that he was subjected to unlawful detention, abuse of procedures by law enforcement agents, and that they intentionally inflicted emotional distress. Mr. Kim is seeking compensation for confiscated personal belongings, lost wages, and emotional suffering.

Mr. Kim, who was detained for seven days in an ICE facility, said, “I was forced to live under humiliating conditions,” and stated that the crackdown and detention caused lasting psychological trauma.

Workers interviewed by CNN claimed they were handcuffed and shackled without any explanation for their arrest or access to an interpreter and were forced to sign documents they could not understand. They also described being exposed to harsh detention conditions such as overcrowded cells.

Four workers, who did not reveal their identities for fear of retaliation, said they were legally working in the U.S. with valid visas but were not told the reasons for their arrest at the time.

One worker said, “Even after being detained, we did not know why we were taken or what crime we were alleged to have committed. No one understood what was happening, and everyone was confused.”

Mr. Kim also said, “This happened without proper explanation. At the very least, it would have been somewhat understandable if someone had explained the situation while the process was ongoing.”

"The Government Should Admit Its Mistakes and Apologize"

The attorney representing the workers explained that the purpose of this legal action is to make “the U.S. government acknowledge and admit its enormous and unfair mistakes and apologize for them.”

He criticized, “The U.S. government used the false pretext of discovering four undocumented immigrants at the construction site to deploy hundreds of fully-armed agents to the workplaces of Korean businesses that make major contributions to the American economy.”

He continued, “They handcuffed and shackled engineers who had entered the country legally and paraded them like criminals in front of the world, making it look as if Korean companies were infringing on the U.S. labor market and publicly shaming them.”

CNN reported that it requested comments from all nine federal agencies targeted by the claims, but only DHS and CBP responded. DHS stated, “ICE executed court-authorized search warrants as part of an investigation into unlawful employment practices and other serious federal crimes.”

CBP stated that its position is to refer to a press release issued in September of last year. According to CNN, the press release indicated that the detained workers had been confirmed to have worked illegally in violation of visa or residency status conditions.

On September 4 last year, U.S. immigration authorities conducted a surprise raid at the battery plant construction site in Ellabell, Georgia, and arrested and detained 475 workers. More than 300 of them were Korean.

Footage of heavily armed agents handcuffing and shackling Korean workers was made public at the time, prompting criticism and concern about excessive enforcement both in Korea and the United States.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.