More than 300 South Korean workers detained following a massive immigration raid at a Hyundai plant in Georgia will be released and brought home, the South Korean government announced.
U.S. federal agents arrested about 475 workers at Hyundai’s car battery plant in Ellabell, Georgia, on Thursday in the largest single-site enforcement operation in the history of the Department of Homeland Security’s investigative operations.
Kang Hoon-sik, chief of staff for president Lee Jae Myung, said South Korea and the US had finalised negotiations on the workers’ release. He said South Korea plans to send a charter plane to bring the workers home as soon as remaining administrative steps are completed.
South Korea’s foreign ministry said Seoul and Washington were discussing details on allowing all the detained workers to return on a voluntary basis. It said foreign minister Cho Hyun is to leave for the US on Monday afternoon for talks related to the workers’ releases.
Mr Cho said on Monday he will start discussions with Washington on improving the US visa system for Korean workers when he heads to the U.S. He spoke at a South Korean parliament committee hearing discussing the detention of hundreds of Korean workers during an immigration raid at a Georgia battery plant being built by Hyundai Motor and LG Energy Solution.
Hundreds of federal agents raided Hyundai’s sprawling manufacturing site in Georgia where the Korean automaker makes electric vehicles. Agents focused on a plant that is still under construction at which Hyundai has partnered with LG Energy Solution to produce batteries that power EVs.
Mr Cho said more than 300 South Koreans were among the detained.
The raid at the Hyundai Metaplant in Ellabell, near Savannah, followed weeks of investigation and was carried out by hundreds of federal, state and local officers armed with a judicial search warrant. Although the warrant named four individuals, the operation ended with 475 people in custody, many suspected of living or working illegally in the United States.
The government has pledged to repatriate them swiftly on a chartered flight, an arrangement that immigration lawyers described as highly unusual.
“I do not know of another instance where a government has responded with chartering a flight,” said Sarah Owings, a US immigration attorney representing several detainees.
The operation was the latest in a long line of workplace raids conducted as part of the Trump administration’s mass deportation agenda. But the one on Thursday is especially distinct because of its large size and because the targeted site has been touted as Georgia’s largest economic development project.
Hyundai Motor is also one of the biggest foreign investors in the United States and is among South Korean companies participating in the country’s pledge of a $350bn fund for the US market.
A Hyundai Motor spokesperson said some staff had been asked to suspend non-essential trips to the U.S.
LGES has also suspended staff business trips to the U.S., other than certain exceptional cases, and will be recalling South Korea-based employees now in the country.
The Hyundai Metaplant spans 2,900 acres and houses both an electric vehicle facility and a battery factory run jointly with LG. When complete, it is projected to employ up to 8,500 people. Around 50 of the detainees worked directly for LG Energy Solutions, while a further 250 were employed by HL-GA Battery Company, an affiliate of Hyundai and LG. None of the South Korean nationals were Hyundai employees.
The raid stunned many in South Korea because the country is a key US ally. It agreed in July to purchase $100bn in US energy and make a $350bn investment in the US in return for the country lowering tariff rates. About two weeks ago, US president Donald Trump and Mr Lee held their first meeting in Washington.
Meanwhile, questions remain over the visa status of those arrested. Some are believed to have entered the country illegally, others overstayed visas, and some had travelled under the US Visa Waiver Programme, which permits short visits for tourism or business but prohibits employment.
“When you enter under the Visa Waiver Program, then you’re not going to have an opportunity to see a judge … you’re just automatically issued an order by ICE,” Atlanta-based immigration attorney Jorge Gavilanes told CNN. He said South Korea’s decision to fund the chartered flight was likely intended to expedite the process.
LG Energy Solutions said it was working closely with officials. “We will commit our best efforts to ensure the safe and prompt return of our employees and those of our partners,” said chief human resources officer Kim Ki-soo. The company has suspended most business travel to the U.S.
The operation was carried out by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Homeland Security Investigations alongside the FBI, DEA, ATF, Georgia State Patrol and other agencies.
“This has been a multi-month criminal investigation,” said Steven Schrank, special agent in charge at Homeland Security Investigations. “Together, we are sending a clear and unequivocal message: those who exploit our workforce, undermine our economy, and violate federal laws will be held accountable.”
Meanwhile, Mr Trump said perhaps the U.S. could work out an arrangement with South Korean workers who would train US citizens to do work such as battery and computer manufacturing.
“If you don’t have people in this country right now that know about batteries, maybe we should help them along and let some people come in and train our people,” Mr Trump said on Sunday night at Andrews Air Force Base. He added that “the way you train people is bring people in that know what they’re doing, let them stay for a little while and help”.
Mr Trump, who has ramped up deportations nationwide as his administration cracks down on illegal immigrants, said last week he had not been aware of the raid. He called those detained “illegal aliens”.
On Sunday, he called on foreign companies investing in the US to “respect our Nation’s immigration laws” but sounded more conciliatory.
“Your Investments are welcome, and we encourage you to LEGALLY bring your very smart people, with great technical talent, to build World Class products, and we will make it quickly and legally possible for you to do so,” he said on Truth Social.
Seoul has expressed its unhappiness about the arrests and the public release of the footage showing the operation which involved armoured vehicles and the shackling of workers.
Mr Lee said the rights of South Korean nationals and economic activities of South Korean companies must not be unfairly infringed upon during US law enforcement procedures. South Korea’s foreign ministry separately issued a statement to express “concern and regret” over the case and sent diplomats to the site.
Video released by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on Saturday showed a caravan of vehicles driving up to the site and then federal agents directing workers to line up outside. Some detainees were ordered to put their hands up against a bus as they were frisked and then shackled around their hands, ankles and waist.
Most of the people detained were taken to an immigration detention center in Folkston, Georgia, near the Florida state line. None has been charged with any crimes yet, Steven Schrank, the lead Georgia agent of Homeland Security Investigations, said during a news conference Friday, adding that the investigation was ongoing.
He said that some of the detained workers had illegally crossed the US border, while others had entered the country legally but had expired visas or had entered on a visa waiver that prohibited them from working.
