This doesn’t just have ramifications for Georgia. But, for dozens of other projects around the country. Why would any foreign country invest in this country if this is what can happen to their countrymen?
Raphael Rashid (@koryodynasty) posted at 10:41 PM on Sat, Sep 13, 2025:
1/ A repatriated Korean worker from the Hyundai-LG battery factory secretly wrote a detention diary about their 7-day experience in ICE custody in Georgia. The worker says ICE officers mocked them with words like as “North Korea” and “Rocket Man” despite holding a business visa.
(https://x.com/koryodynasty/status/1967071082856542508?t=Aq4UFgaw6iX3ZQTlsLc4Dg&s=03)Raphael Rashid (@koryodynasty) posted at 10:41 PM on Sat, Sep 13, 2025:
2/ The worker held a B1 visa for a 2-month work meetings and training trip. They were body-searched while wearing hard hat and safety boots at 10am on 4 September. ICE gave arrest warrant forms at 1:20pm with no explanation and no Miranda rights were read. https://t.co/I4MsJU8Fgi
(https://x.com/koryodynasty/status/1967071087365419096?t=LWlbBV_jD13bUvuj3JhADA&s=03)Raphael Rashid (@koryodynasty) posted at 10:41 PM on Sat, Sep 13, 2025:
3/ “The workers thought that completing the forms would lead to release,” the worker wrote, which was shared with Yonhap News. Red wristbands were placed on workers after they submitted forms. They secretly messaged his family saying “contact might be cut off”. https://t.co/zffgcDfeOf
(https://x.com/koryodynasty/status/1967071091052122467?t=ZT9h7Nr3UNNNSGnmyGK19Q&s=03)Raphael Rashid (@koryodynasty) posted at 10:41 PM on Sat, Sep 13, 2025:
4/ Workers were handcuffed with cable ties, and some were chained at the waist, legs, and wrists. Transport vehicles had toilets inside with a strong urine odour, and there was no air conditioning provided during the journey to the detention facility. https://t.co/OEem7UDfJT
(https://x.com/koryodynasty/status/1967071093845619171?t=oYWJ23OycIBRyRq0H6anJQ&s=03)Raphael Rashid (@koryodynasty) posted at 10:41 PM on Sat, Sep 13, 2025:
5/ Workers were initially housed in a 72-person room with bunks, 4 shared toilets and 2 urinals. There were no clocks or outside view. Mattresses had mould on them. The provided water smelled bad. No basic supplies were initially provided to the detainees. https://t.co/G23MgJtLEO
(https://x.com/koryodynasty/status/1967071096634831348?t=S_0XipqBNYRvOHZxu9rj7g&s=03)Raphael Rashid (@koryodynasty) posted at 10:41 PM on Sat, Sep 13, 2025:
6/ It was so cold that some detainees heated towels in the microwave to warm themselves. The worker secretly obtained a pen and paper on day 4 to begin writing his detention diary. The formal intake process was only completed on day 4. https://t.co/sYem8KIRlV
(https://x.com/koryodynasty/status/1967071099314925961?t=oLA6HpeLhOMLs6C6aftrgg&s=03)
Raphael Rashid (@koryodynasty) posted at 10:41 PM on Sat, Sep 13, 2025:
7/ During their 6 September ICE interview, officers asked if they were from “South Korea”. When they confirmed, “the officers smirked and mentioned North Korea and Rocket Man”. The worker wrote being angry but restrained themselves.
(https://x.com/koryodynasty/status/1967071101982568676?t=qXZlZZ_WvtMiB7wo7jxP1g&s=03)Raphael Rashid (@koryodynasty) posted at 10:41 PM on Sat, Sep 13, 2025:
8/ When they asked why they were arrested despite legal B1 entry, the ICE officer replied: “I don’t know either, but the people above think it’s illegal.” Some ICE officers admitted to other detainees that ICE had made mistakes, according to the diary.
(https://x.com/koryodynasty/status/1967071104591425676?t=ZHgEwUgh4vJccVrkQKiDVg&s=03Raphael Rashid (@koryodynasty) posted at 10:41 PM on Sat, Sep 13, 2025:
9/ On 7 September, 4 officials from the Korean Consulate General and Foreign Ministry met the detainees. The consulate reportedly told workers: “Getting home first is the most important thing. Sign whatever they ask you to sign unconditionally.”
(https://x.com/koryodynasty/status/1967071107279974777?t=J4HvocgPeJcVl7Nbl8DT9w&s=03)Raphael Rashid (@koryodynasty) posted at 10:41 PM on Sat, Sep 13, 2025:
10/ The Korean officials warned that disputes could mean detention for anything from 4 months to several years. They informed detainees that signing would mean forced removal, visa cancellation, and a charter flight home. More ministry officials visited on 8 September.
(https://x.com/koryodynasty/status/1967071109989494856?t=WW3mOZf_quhE2H_OjWV7IQ&s=03)Raphael Rashid (@koryodynasty) posted at 10:41 PM on Sat, Sep 13, 2025:
11/ The worker wrote: “I was angry that they seemed unable to understand why B-1 visa entry was considered illegal” and was frustrated at their focus on “sending us out.” Workers were told to sign “voluntary departure” documents filled with language about being “illegal”. https://t.co/7XJblObSyk
(https://x.com/koryodynasty/status/1967071113630150985?t=B4o1Xvh8yE1sJ_dcuK9mpg&s=03)Raphael Rashid (@koryodynasty) posted at 10:41 PM on Sat, Sep 13, 2025:
12/ Release came on 11 September at 1am when buses departed for Atlanta airport, leaving what Yonhap described as a “hell-like detention facility.” https://t.co/sYem8KIRlV
(https://x.com/koryodynasty/status/1967071116540997863?t=yz8HybREup1uooHULmvK4g&s=03)
I honestly didn’t get Redford until I saw young Redford.
Barefoot in the Park Redford.
The Way We Were Redford.
He was so aesthetically beautiful, as a man, he had no choice, but to become a movie star.
Variety (@Variety) posted at 7:26 AM on Tue, Sep 16, 2025:
Robert Redford has died at 89 years old.
The film icon starred in classic movies such as “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid” and “All the President’s Men,” won an Oscar for directing “Ordinary People” and founded the Sundance Film Institute.
https://t.co/MLJnHZHcWg https://t.co/bAZBLVKj1W
(https://x.com/Variety/status/1967927996381356496?t=Bv79YtOQ8nqd2EDrb-jtoQ&s=03)
Elie Mystal (@ElieNYC) posted at 9:34 PM on Mon, Sep 15, 2025:
George Soros doesn’t fund @thenation of course. I know that’s hard for JD Vance to understand since billionaires fund his entire existence.
But, if there are billionaires interested in funding our work, please call. I really need a new car.
(https://x.com/ElieNYC/status/1967779143359279283?t=KgpiqfowKVgDy9SVOtChaw&s=03)
The way that I felt something when I saw him and Ruby Bridges walk that runway 👊🏾👊🏾👊🏾
https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZP8Sy6CJW/
Heartland Signal (@HeartlandSignal) posted at 0:36 PM on Mon, Sep 15, 2025:
PENNSYLVANIA REPUBLICAN BRIAN FITZPATRICK REVERSES COURSE ON ACA TAX CREDITS AFTER AVOIDING VOTE IN MAY
U.S. Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA) has attached himself to a new bill that will extend Affordable Care Act (ACA) advanced premium tax credits, even though he avoided voting on a similar amendment in May.
Earlier this month, Fitzpatrick added his name to a list of co-sponsors for the ACA Premium Tax Credits Extension Act, along with nine other Republicans who are expected to face a challenging reelection in the 2026 midterms.
These tax credits were first implemented by Democrats in 2021 with no Republican support.
The tax credits, which are set to expire at the end of 2025, were successful at lowering health insurance premiums for people of all income levels. According to a KFF analysis of initial rate filings for next year, the loss of the tax credits could be responsible for as much as an 18% median rate increase in premiums.
Democrats have attempted to extend the tax credits multiple times this year, but have been shot down by the Republican majorities in Congress. One of these attempts was an amendment to President Donald Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill, which was proposed by Rep. Steven Horsford (D-NV) and would have made the tax credits permanent. During a markup session in the House Ways and Means Committee in May, the body voted down the amendment, with all “nay” votes coming from Republicans.
Fitzpatrick was the only member of the committee to miss the vote. Video of the session (1:33:40 into the video) shows the confused clerk scanning the room for Fitzpatrick during the vote, as he had been in the room for the previous votes that day.
Fitzpatrick did not respond to a request to comment on why he suddenly missed the vote and why he now supports extending the tax credits.
In a statement to Heartland Signal, Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee spokesperson Eli Cousin criticized Fitzpatrick for failing to permanently extend the tax credits earlier this year.
“Brian Fitzpatrick had an opportunity to vote to extend ACA tax credits that lower health care costs, but instead he literally ran away,” Cousin said. “Fitzpatrick abandoned his own constituents and now their monthly health care premiums could rise by 300%. Bucks and Montgomery County families deserve better than a congressman who doesn’t even bother to show up.”
Fitzpatrick is seeking his sixth term in Congress in 2026. Cook Political Report currently rates his 1st Congressional District seat as “Likely Republican.”
(AP Photo/Rod Lamkey, Jr.)
https://t.co/qbFDSmmfku
(https://x.com/HeartlandSignal/status/1967643747182686270?t=z5-iMhrTU5ER4dVuw_pL3A&s=03)
Noga Tarnopolsky נגה טרנופולסקי نوغا ترنوبولسكي
@NTarnopolsky
💥Rubio, in Israel, says a diplomatic solution to Gaza war may not be possible, seemingly giving Netanyahu thumbs up for Gaza City incursion.
https://x.com/NTarnopolsky/status/1967626097459413101
Andrea Junker
@Strandjunker
Welcome to Trump’s America, where they fire Karen Attiah and Matthew Dowd for pointing out Charlie Kirk’s right-wing extremism and applaud Brian Kilmeade for suggesting we murder the homeless.
11:44 AM · Sep 15, 2025
https://x.com/Strandjunker/status/1967630648870658189
This excellent comment left at Balloon Juice about this topic:
patrick II
September 15, 2025 at 12:42 pm
There are many frustrating things about this affair but the most galling to me is that, well after they should have realised their mistake, ICE kept trudging on. The South Koreans did not leave for three days. The first day of the arrest — they were put in chains. The chains, which were unnecessary to begin with since these were a group of technicians they were arresting for no real reason with no connections to any sort of crime, drug violence or otherwise. The chains had been laid out in the hot Georgia sun before chaining the “prisoners” (read nice techie guys who were here to teach and help American workers). The chains were hot, so the captives (I won’t call them prisoners anymore) received burns on their way to the detention center. The detention center was itself ill-lit and filthy.
We should note how much “face” counts in most of Asia. Treating someone with less dignity than they deserve is hurtful in a way that goes beyond what most of us might feel. These captives were horrified, as their government would later be horrified when it found out what was going on and the treatment of its citizens.
By the next day, the Koreans had sent an airliner to bring their people home. But they did not go. ICE still insisted that they wear chains on the bus trip to the airport. This is already horrifying to any decent American, but this extra humiliation on top of what they had already suffered is macabre. The local ICE thugs did what ICE thugs do, but at this point, someone a little higher in the chain of command should have changed the tenor of the manner in which we were treating the Korean technicians. By then, a more complete view of the facts of the situation should have worked its way up through the ICE organization, Madison Shehan, Deputy Director of ICE, Ted Lyons, Director, Christi Noem, and President Trump. Plus others whose role I am not sure of — Steven Miller, and that big lug fascist of a guy who I keep seeing on TV defending ICE like a fat Steven Miller. Normally, within a chain of command like that, someone along the way would have been intelligent enough to say — no, we’ve made a mistake. They should not be exported, and certainly not bound in chains at this point. We should release them and apologize. But no one in this group is smart enough to acknowledge mistakes, or even to consider it might be a mistake, nor to understand the deep grievance the Koreans would have after seeing their good citizens treated in such an illegal and undignified manner. They live just south of an unlawful police state, they know and hate government without laws, and as for the loss of face, this was not just a loss of face for the individuals involved but for the whole South Korean nation. You cannot underestimate just how angry they are, and not just the government. The ill treatment of their fellow Koreans is all over the news in South Korea. The conduct of the Americans is universally abhorred. It will take a long time to repair our relationship with them. So, add that on to Canada, Greenland, the Netherlands, and other ex-friends whom we are now alienating and creating not just outrage and distrust, but hate and anger. It is going to take us a long time, if ever, to get past the damage Trump and his minions have done to our status in the world.
As for the Korean captives, Korea rented its own bus and took the captives to their chartered flight itself. Even after three days, they had to work out this compromise to get their people home. No one with any brains was involved in this; they have no intelligence at all. Starting from the ambitious lady candidate who first reported four visaless Koreans to ICE, who went to the plant and said “Oh, my God, foreigners! Let’s arrest them all,” and kidnapped 350 people illegally, to anyone in their chain of command up to the president, none of them had, even three days later, taken steps to correct their atrocity.
you got what you voted for
POLITICO
@politico
Farmers in deep-red Pennsylvania are struggling to find workers.
“The whole thing is screwed up,” said one three-time Trump voter who runs a farm in the area. “We need people to do the jobs Americans are too spoiled to do.”
https://x.com/politico/status/1967562867085025558
This reply from another blog is on point:
ColoradoGuy
September 15, 2025 at 10:11 am
The South Koreans will NEVER forgive, or forget, this national insult and deliberate abuse of their workers. For the very good reason that MAGA is racist all the way through, and this incident exposes them on the international stage.
Trump, and his billionaire pals, will think they can buy off South Korea. Nope. When you show all of Asia the Ku Klux Klan is running the USA, they’re not going to forget.
FujiiPonta
@fujiiponta.bsky.social
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A senior US state department official on Sunday (September 14) expressed regrets over the recent mass detention of South Korean workers in America and vowed to prevent similar occurrences.
en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN2025…
https://bsky.app/profile/fujiiponta.bsky.social/post/3lyseruklck2l
FujiiPonta
@fujiiponta.bsky.social
Follow
A South Korean worker who returned home after days of detention in a US immigration raid has recounted details of human rights violations, saying US agents laughed at the worker in a scornful manner during interrogation, among other inhumane treatment.
en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN2025…
https://bsky.app/profile/fujiiponta.bsky.social/post/3lyugupduns2z
FujiiPonta
@fujiiponta.bsky.social
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The South Korean government is closely looking into whether any possible human rights violations took place during the raid and detention of Korean workers by US immigration authorities in Georgia, the presidential office said on Monday (September 15).
en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN2025…
https://bsky.app/profile/fujiiponta.bsky.social/post/3lyugzpymks2z
“I was the last remaining Black full-time opinion columnist at the Post, in one of the nation’s most diverse regions. Washington D.C. no longer has a paper that reflects the people it serves. What happened to me is part of a broader purge of Black voices from academia, business, government, and media — a historical pattern as dangerous as it is shameful — and tragic.”
https://karenattiah.substack.com/p/the-washington-post-fired-me-but?utm_source=notes-share-action&r=2bz6j
Sherrilyn Ifill
@sifill.bsky.social
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This is as huge a scandal & blunder as this chaotic Administration has seen.
The person who should be called to answer for it is Secy Kristi Noem. When a woman who loves the camera as much as Noem is nowhere to be seen for 10 days it’s b/c she’s hiding out. Media should be all over this.
https://bsky.app/profile/sifill.bsky.social/post/3lysfc3c4u22l
Good Morning, Everyone😊😊😊