SEOUL, September 22 (AJP) - South Korea’s Foreign Ministry has begun surveying more than 300 of its citizens who were detained by U.S. immigration authorities in Georgia, after some former detainees alleged they were subjected to mistreatment while in custody.
The survey, distributed this week to 316 South Koreans who have since returned home, asks respondents to describe the circumstances of their arrest and their experiences during detention. It will remain open for a week, and participants may also request follow-up interviews, officials said Monday.
The initiative comes after detainees claimed they were denied access to legal counsel, held in poor conditions and subjected to verbal abuse while in the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Several of those detained had reportedly overstayed their visas or violated immigration rules, according to U.S. officials, though rights groups in South Korea have criticized the scale of the enforcement operation.
The South Korean government said it plans to use the results to identify systemic issues and, if warranted, raise concerns with Washington. “We are committed to ensuring that the rights of our citizens are protected, even when they are overseas,” a ministry official said.
The episode underscores the often fraught nature of U.S. immigration enforcement, which has drawn international scrutiny in recent years.
Georgia, home to one of the largest immigration detention complexes in the United States, has faced multiple lawsuits alleging unsafe and inhumane conditions. A 2020 whistle-blower complaint, for example, accused a facility in Irwin County of performing unnecessary medical procedures on female detainees, sparking investigations by the U.S. Congress.
* This article, published by Aju Business Daily, was translated by AI and edited by AJP.
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