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Anguished U.S. Detention Diary: B-1 Visa Workers Mocked as “North Korea”

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Anguished U.S. Detention Diary: B-1 Visa Workers Mocked as “North Korea”

For Korean workers detained for seven days after being swept up at the Georgia battery plant construction site, the word “human rights” was nowhere to be found.

On September 14, Yonhap News obtained the “detention diary” of one worker, Mr. A, which described in detail the horrific conditions inside the detention facility and the human rights violations that occurred.

Mr. A had entered the United States legally on a B-1 visa (a short-term business visa for travel, meetings, or training). During a two-month business trip for meetings and training, he was arrested with his wrists tied in zip ties.

Arrest Without Explanation or Miranda Rights

On September 4, at around 10 a.m., agents from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) stormed the site. They first searched the Korean workers, who were wearing helmets and safety shoes. Mr. A did not have time to grab his ID or passport.

At 1:20 p.m., ICE distributed forms labeled “Warrant Arrest for Alien” and ordered the workers to fill in the blanks.

There was no explanation of the documents and no mention of Miranda rights. The atmosphere was so intimidating that there was no way to carefully translate and understand the English line by line.

“The workers thought they would be released if they just submitted the papers,” Mr. A wrote. After handing them in, red bracelets were strapped onto their wrists.

The agents then began confiscating belongings. They forced the workers to place their phones and personal items into mesh bags. Realizing the seriousness of the situation, Mr. A secretly turned on his phone, sent a quick message to his family and company — “I don’t think I’ll be reachable” — and then shut it off again.

After waiting over nine hours, he was loaded into a transport vehicle with his wrists bound tightly by zip ties. Those taken earlier were shackled around the waist, legs, and wrists. Inside the transport van, there was a toilet that reeked of urine, and the air conditioning was left off.

Packed Into a 72-Person Cell

At first, the detained workers were crammed into a temporary cell holding 72 people. There were five such rooms, and detainees were rotated among them.

The room had rows of bunk beds and six communal toilets (four toilets, two urinals). There was no clock and no windows. Mattresses were moldy. A thin cloth near the toilet offered scant privacy. Many held in their bodily needs rather than endure the humiliation.

“I wasn’t given even a towel,” Mr. A wrote. “A friend gave me one, and I slept under it.”

The room was freezing, and detainees tried to keep warm by wrapping themselves in towels. Some even microwaved towels to generate warmth. The drinking water provided smelled foul. Only later were toothbrushes, toothpaste, blankets, and deodorant distributed.

On the fourth day, after completing intake procedures, Mr. A was moved into a two-person room. But because of the sheer number of detainees, some never left the 72-person cells. Pen and paper were forbidden, but Mr. A managed to sneak some on the fourth day and began writing his diary.

Mocked as “North Korea” and “Rocket Man”

On the third day of detention (September 6), ICE finally began interviews. First, agents distributed “voluntary departure” documents and told the detainees to sign. Many signed despite anxiety over the word “illegal” stamped across them.

After waiting long hours, Mr. A was finally taken outside for the first time in three days to the interview room. After fingerprinting, two ICE officers reviewed his file. Their first question was, “What kind of work did you do?” He answered: business meetings and training.

One officer then asked if he was from “South Korea.” When he said yes, the agents laughed among themselves and made jokes: “North Korea… Rocket Man” (the nickname former President Trump gave Kim Jong-un).

“I was furious that they were mocking me,” Mr. A wrote. “But I stayed quiet, afraid it might affect my paperwork.”

At the end of the interview, he asked, “I entered properly on a B-1 visa and was acting within its purpose. Why was I arrested?” The ICE officer replied, “I don’t know. But the people above us think you’re illegal.” Some officers reportedly admitted to other detainees that ICE had made mistakes.

Consulate Urges: “Just Sign and Go Home”

On the fourth day (September 7), four officials from the Korean Consulate General and Foreign Ministry visited the detainees.

According to Mr. A, the consular officials told them: “What matters most is going home. Sign whatever they give you, no matter what.” They warned that if a dispute arose, detainees could remain imprisoned for four months to several years.

The consular staff explained that signing would mean forced deportation, visa cancellation, and repatriation via chartered flight. That night at 11 p.m., Mr. A finally went through full intake: changing into prison clothing, having his height, weight, and blood pressure recorded. By 3 a.m., he was placed into a two-person cell. The building held 50 rooms, each with a toilet, desk, and bunk beds.

On the fifth day, September 8, Foreign Ministry staff visited again. “I was angry,” Mr. A wrote, “because no one could explain why coming in on a B-1 visa was suddenly considered illegal. It felt like all they cared about was pushing us to sign voluntary departure forms and get us out quickly.”

After that, the detainees were left waiting without clear information. Their release was delayed, nerves fraying as days dragged on.

Finally, in the early hours of September 11, buses took the workers from the detention facility to Atlanta airport. At 3:30 p.m. Korea time, 330 workers — 316 Koreans and 14 foreign nationals — landed back in Korea on Korean Air flight KE9036, ending their nightmarish ordeal.

Source: https://www.yna.co.kr/view/AKR20250914010400004

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