Key facts
- Over 300 South Korean workers detained in a US immigration raid at a Georgia Hyundai plant are challenging the US government.
- The raid occurred last September at a Hyundai electric-vehicle manufacturing plant.
- Administrative claims have been filed with nine federal agencies as a mandatory step before a federal lawsuit.
- The agencies include the Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Customs and Border Protection, the FBI, and the Departments of Justice and Labor.
- The raid was described as the largest single-site enforcement operation in the history of the US Department of Homeland Security.
- Workers were shackled and had their phones confiscated, preventing them from contacting families.
More than 300 South Korean workers who were detained in a U.S. immigration raid at a Hyundai electric-vehicle manufacturing plant in Georgia last September are challenging the U.S. government, according to a CNN report. Administrative claims, a prerequisite for federal lawsuits, have been filed with nine federal agencies on behalf of the workers.
The agencies include the Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Customs and Border Protection, the FBI, and the Departments of Justice and Labor. The raid, which targeted the Georgia plant operated through a joint venture between Hyundai and South Korea's LG Energy Solution, was described as the largest single-site enforcement operation in the history of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
Video and photos of workers shackled at the wrists, waist, and ankles circulated widely, causing concern in South Korea. Some workers were unable to contact their families back home until their eventual release after their phones were confiscated.