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More Than 300 Korean Workers File Claims After Georgia Immigration Raid

Their administrative claims could lead to Federal Tort Claims Act lawsuits.

Robotic arms weld roofs onto automobile frames at the Hyundai Metaplant electric vehicle manufacturing facility in Ellabell, Georgia, on Wednesday, June 11, 2025.
Protesters stage a rally against the detention of South Korean workers during an immigration raid in Georgia, near the US Embassy in Seoul, South Korea, Tuesday, September 9, 2025.
South Korean workers arrive at Incheon International Airport in Incheon on September 12, 2025.
Detainees are made to stand against a bus before being handcuffed, during a raid by federal agents where about 300 South Koreans were among 475 people arrested at the site of a $4.3 billion project by Hyundai Motor and LG Energy Solution to build batteries for electric cars in Ellabell, Georgia, U.S., September 4, 2025 in a still image taken from a video. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement/Handout via REUTERS.

Overview

  • The Sept. 4, 2025 raid at the Hyundai–LG battery complex in Ellabell, Georgia, resulted in 475 detentions, most of whom were South Korean workers.
  • Over 300 former detainees have begun filing required administrative claims with nine federal agencies, including DHS, ICE, CBP, the FBI, and the departments of Justice and Labor.
  • The claims allege unlawful mass detention and poor conditions in ICE custody and seek damages for lost work, confiscated property, and psychological harm.
  • The search warrant used in the operation named four targets who were not among the Korean workers detained, and reporting says some workers later returned to U.S. battery jobs using B-1 business visas.
  • A Korean attorney says she aims to file claims on behalf of all the workers by year-end and the agencies' responses will determine whether the claims move to federal FTCA lawsuits and broader legal or corporate scrutiny.