Over 300 S. Korean workers challenging Trump gov't over last year's immigration raid in Georgia: CNN

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WASHINGTON, Sept. 15 (Yonhap) -- More than 300 South Korean workers who were detained in a U.S. immigration raid at a Korean battery plant site in Georgia last year are taking legal action against the U.S. government in the first major legal challenge over the immigration crackdown under President Donald Trump, a report said Tuesday.

CNN reported that administrative claims on behalf of the workers have started to be filed with nine U.S. agencies, including the Department of Homeland Security, the Departments of Justice and Labor, and Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the news network said, citing a lawyer representing the workers.

The claims are a mandatory step before a federal lawsuit is filed.

U.S. authorities carried out an immigration raid at an electric vehicle battery plant construction site for a joint venture between Hyundai Motor Group and LG Energy Solution in Georgia in September last year, leading to the arrest of 475 people, a majority of them South Koreans.

The authorities cast the raid as "the largest single site enforcement operation in the history of Homeland Security Investigations," arguing that the workers were illegally present in the United States, including some who illegally crossed the border into the U.S. and some who were under a visa waiver program that prohibits them from working.

CNN introduced a claim by a South Korean worker that he was unlawfully detained and "subjected to demeaning living conditions" while in a detention facility for seven days, and that the raid resulted in "intentional infliction of emotional distress, humiliation ... and lasting psychological trauma."

The claim seeks damages for confiscated belongings, lost work and psychological harm, and alleges false imprisonment, abuse of process and intentional infliction of emotional distress, it said.

Each of the 300 workers had similar claims, a lawyer representing the claimants told CNN.

The aim of filing claims is to make the US government acknowledge an "enormous, unjust mistake" and "admit it and apologize," the outlet said, citing the lawyer.

Last year's immigration raid raised questions about U.S. reliability as a stable investment destination. Following the incident, Seoul and Washington deepened cooperation in addressing visa-related issues facing skilled Korean workers.

This photo, captured from a video clip from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), shows people arrested during an immigration raid on an electric vehicle battery plant construction site, operated by South Korean companies, Hyundai Motor Group and LG Energy Solution Ltd., on Sept. 4, 2025, (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

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Over 300 S. Korean workers challenging Trump gov't over last year's immigration raid in Georgia: CNN

这将使谷歌能够向您展示与您的搜索匹配或相关的韩联社新闻文章。

华盛顿，9月15日（韩联社）——周二的一份报告称，去年在美国移民局突袭位于佐治亚州的一家韩国电池厂时被拘留的300多名韩国工人正在对美国政府提起诉讼，这是唐纳德·特朗普总统上任以来，针对移民打击行动的首例重大法律挑战。

CNN报道称，代表这些工人的律师表示，他们已开始向包括国土安全部、司法部、劳工部以及移民和海关执法局在内的九个美国机构提出行政索赔。

提出索赔是提起联邦诉讼的必要步骤。

去年 9 月，美国当局突袭了现代汽车集团和 LG 能源解决方案公司在佐治亚州合资建设的电动汽车电池工厂，导致 475 人被捕，其中大部分是韩国人。

当局将此次突袭行动描述为“国土安全调查局历史上规模最大的单点执法行动”，并辩称这些工人非法滞留在美国，其中一些人非法越境进入美国，还有一些人根据签证豁免计划入境，该计划禁止他们工作。

CNN 报道了一名韩国工人的诉求，称他被非法拘留，并在拘留所被关押了七天，期间“遭受了有辱人格的生活条件”，而且这次突袭导致“故意造成精神痛苦、羞辱……和持久的心理创伤”。

该诉讼请求要求赔偿被没收的财物、误工损失和心理伤害，并指控存在非法监禁、滥用诉讼程序和故意造成精神痛苦的行为。

代表原告的律师告诉 CNN，这 300 名工人的诉求都类似。

该媒体援引律师的话说，提起诉讼的目的是让美国政府承认“一个巨大的、不公正的错误”，并“承认错误并道歉”。

去年的移民突袭事件引发了人们对美国作为稳定投资目的地可靠性的质疑。事件发生后，首尔和华盛顿深化了在解决韩国技术工人签证相关问题上的合作。

这张照片截取自美国移民及海关执法局（ICE）的一段视频，显示的是在2025年9月4日，韩国现代汽车集团和LG能源解决方案有限公司运营的电动汽车电池工厂建筑工地，移民执法人员突袭现场逮捕了一些人。（照片不得出售）（韩联社）

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超过300名韩国工人就去年在佐治亚州的移民突袭事件向特朗普政府提出质疑：CNN