South Korean workers file claims against US agencies over Georgia raid

More than 300 South Korean workers detained during a September 2025 immigration raid at a Hyundai Motor Group–LG Energy Solution battery plant construction site in Georgia have begun filing administrative claims against the Trump administration. The claims, directed at nine federal agencies including DHS, ICE, CBP, the FBI and the Justice Department, are required before the workers can file a federal lawsuit under the Federal Tort Claims Act. The workers allege unlawful detention, confiscated belongings, lost wages, emotional distress and abusive conditions, including shackling, inadequate interpretation, pressure to sign documents they did not understand and overcrowded detention cells. Authorities detained 475 workers in the operation, while the underlying warrant reportedly identified only four targets, none of them South Korean; DHS said the raid was authorized by a judicial warrant and involved suspected immigration and employment violations. Lawyers representing the workers plan to complete the filings by the end of the year, with at least one claimant seeking damages for seven days of detention and lasting psychological harm.