In 2025, the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) conducted a raid on the Hyundai electric vehicle factory in Georgia, where over 300 South Korean workers were detained. These workers are now filing claims against the U.S. government. Their lawyers have initiated administrative claims proceedings, with claim documents being submitted to nine federal agencies including the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), ICE, Customs and Border Protection (CBP), FBI, as well as the Departments of Justice and Labor.
The incident took place on September 4, 2025, when hundreds of federal law enforcement officers raided the battery factory construction site at the Metaplant America campus in Ellabell, Georgia, resulting in 475 people being detained, with over 300 of them being South Korean citizens. Kim, one of the key organizers among the Korean workers, stated that the age range of the detained workers varied from their twenties to their sixties.
A Korean American lawyer practicing in Georgia who represents these workers provided CNN with the claim-related documents, indicating that the claims had been sent to the aforementioned federal agencies. The lawyer, requesting to be identified as “a Korean American lawyer practicing in Georgia” in the report, emphasized the significance of representing these detainees of the same ethnicity. She aims to file all claim applications by the end of the year.
Several workers interviewed by CNN recounted being illegally arrested and detained without any explanation or translation assistance, forced to sign incomprehensible documents, and confined in overcrowded cells. Despite the hardships faced, some of them returned to the U.S., considering it a necessary part of their work.
In his claim documents, Kim mentioned enduring “indignities” during his seven-day detention at an ICE facility and highlighted the intentional infliction of “psychological trauma, humiliation, and lasting psychological stress” caused by the raid.
The claims seek compensation for confiscated items, lost wages, psychological harm, and allege unlawful imprisonment, due process violations, and intentional infliction of emotional distress. The lawyer mentioned that each of the 300 workers had similar claim assertions but declined to disclose the claim amounts.
According to a search warrant obtained by CNN, the federal immigration enforcement operation in Ellabell only listed four targeted individuals, none of whom were among the South Korean workers.
In response to CNN’s inquiry, the Department of Homeland Security stated that ICE carried out a judicial search warrant as part of an ongoing criminal investigation into illegal employment practices and other serious federal crimes.
Customs and Border Protection referred CNN to a statement released in September 2025, mentioning that the arrested individuals were found to be engaging in illegal employment activities, violating the terms of their visas.
Steven Schrank, a special agent with the Department of Homeland Security Investigations, stated that all detainees were suspected of residing and working illegally in the U.S. Some had entered unlawfully, some overstayed their visas, and others were prohibited from working in the U.S. by their visa exemptions.
As reported by local TV news outlet WJCL, worker Alfredo Fajardo Melgarejo has filed a $2 million federal tort claim against ICE. Melgarejo was one of the 475 individuals detained last year, despite holding a U.S. work permit.
As per the claim documents provided by his lawyer, Melgarejo accused ICE personnel of using excessive force during his arrest, including pointing rifles at him, choking him, and binding him with metal handcuffs and shackles.
Melgarejo stated that he was unable to communicate with his family for an extended period after being detained, and his family had initially feared for his life. He was detained in an ICE facility for about nine months before being deported to Colombia in May 2026.
His lawyer claimed that the prolonged detention and separation from his family had severe physical and psychological effects, hence the $2 million compensation demand from the U.S. government.
The Department of Homeland Security denied the use of excessive force by law enforcement during the raid. They clarified that while Melgarejo had a work permit, it did not confer legal immigrant status in the U.S.
The department also mentioned that ICE detention facilities undergo regular inspections, and all detainees should receive adequate food, water, medical care, as well as opportunities to contact their families and lawyers.