South Korean Workers File Claims Over Georgia Plant Raid

More than 300 South Korean engineers and technicians have filed administrative claims against nine U.S. federal agencies, including the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the Department of Justice, and the FBI. The legal actions follow a September 4, 2025, immigration raid at a Hyundai Motor Group and LG Energy Solution joint battery plant in Ellabell, Georgia. The operation, described as the largest single-site enforcement action in the history of Homeland Security Investigations, involved nearly 500 armed officers and resulted in the detention of 475 workers.

Claimants allege they were unlawfully arrested, shackled, and held in overcrowded cells without interpreters. The filings, submitted under the Federal Tort Claims Act as a mandatory precursor to a federal lawsuit, seek financial damages for psychological harm and lost work, as well as an official government apology. Separately, immigration rights groups filed a claim for Alfredo Fajardo Melgarejo, a worker deported after the raid, citing wrongful arrest and mistreatment.

The U.S. government maintains the operation was conducted under a valid judicial search warrant as part of a criminal investigation into visa abuse and unlawful employment practices. The event has caused diplomatic friction, with the South Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs lodging protests. While Hyundai Motor Group and LG Energy Solution stated they prioritize legal compliance, both companies have distanced themselves from the litigation, characterizing the claims as individual decisions.