Georgia, USA: In one of the largest workplace immigration raids in US history, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents detained 475 workers at a Hyundai battery Plant in Georgia.
Officials said most of those arrested were South Korean citizens who had violated their visitor or short-term visas by working without authorization. ICE stressed that individuals on such visas are not permitted to take up employment, adding that the raid was conducted to protect American jobs.
The arrested workers are being held at an ICE facility in Folkston, Georgia, until authorities decide on their next placement. Reports indicate that around 300 of those detained are Korean nationals. One of the detainees, according to ICE, is a Mexican citizen and green card holder with prior convictions, including narcotics possession, attempting to sell a stolen firearm, and theft.
The raid drew immediate diplomatic concern from South Korea, which has invested heavily in the US through major companies like Hyundai and LG to avoid tariffs and strengthen its presence in key industries. The South Korean foreign ministry urged US authorities to ensure that the “economic activities of Korean investment companies and the rights and interests of Korean citizens must not be unfairly infringed upon.” Diplomats were dispatched to Georgia to monitor the situation.
Hyundai emphasized that none of the detained individuals were directly employed by the company, while its joint venture partner, LG Energy Solution, pledged full cooperation with investigators and reassured that safeguarding employees and partners was its top priority. ICE confirmed that the operation is part of an ongoing criminal investigation.
However, the raid also sparked criticism. Immigration lawyer Charles Kuck, claimed two of his clients were wrongly swept up in the arrests. Kuck explained that both were lawfully in the US under the visa waiver programme, which allows short stays of up to 90 days for tourism or business purposes. One of them had arrived only on Tuesday and was scheduled to leave the following week. According to Kuck, both were legitimately attending business meetings rather than working illegally.
Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Special Agent Steven Schrank defended the operation and stated that, “We welcome all companies who want to invest in the US. And if they need to bring workers in for building or other projects, that’s fine, but they need to do it the legal way. This operation sends a clear message that those who exploit the system and undermine our workforce will be held accountable.”
The raid comes amid heightened tensions between President Donald Trump’s dual priorities, encouraging foreign companies to expand manufacturing in the US while cracking down on illegal immigration. Speaking from the Oval Office, Trump defended ICE’s actions, “They were illegal aliens and ICE was just doing its job. We want to get along with other countries, and we want to have a great, stable workforce. And we have, as I understand it, a lot of illegal aliens, some not the best of people, but we had a lot of illegal aliens working there.”
The Hyundai battery plant, central to the production of electric vehicles, has been hailed by Georgia’s Republican governor as the largest economic development project in the state’s history, with a workforce of 1,200. The high-profile raid now raises questions about balancing economic growth, foreign investment, and immigration enforcement.
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