South Korean engineers to sue ICE after Hyundai-LG plant raid in Georgia
About 200 detainees seek compensation and plan to sue for racial discrimination, human rights violations, and excessive force during the arrests
According to industry sources and a report by ABC News earlier this week, roughly 200 of those detained in the weeklong ordeal are preparing to file a lawsuit against ICE, alleging racial discrimination, human rights violations and excessive use of force during their arrests and detention. They are seeking compensation for damages.
The group was among roughly 317 Korean workers out of 475 people arrested by ICE agents in a surprise raid on September 4, an operation that officials said was targeting undocumented workers.
However, many of those detained – most of whom are skilled engineers – held valid work visas and were legally employed at the nearly 3,000-acre electric vehicle battery plant in Georgia.
“To this day, we still don’t know why we were detained like that. There has been no apology or explanation from the authorities,” said Kim, one of the detained workers who spoke to ABC News on condition of anonymity. He added that this was one of the main reasons he decided to join the lawsuit.