
KEY POINTS
- Tori Branum tipped off ICE, prompting detentions of 475 workers — many South Korean engineers.
- Legal experts say many detained were on valid B-1 visas doing specialized installation work.
- Public outcry includes warnings that the raid threatens US–South Korea economic cooperation.
Tori Branum, a Republican politician and staunch MAGA supporter, has found herself at the centre of an online firestorm after reportedly tipping off US immigration authorities about alleged hiring practices at the new LG Energy Solution–Hyundai battery plant in Georgia. The fallout has become unexpectedly personal, impacting not only her career ambitions but even her underage children.