ELLABELL, Georgia — A massive immigration raid at a Hyundai battery plant in Georgia has left 475 workers in detention, most of them South Korean citizens, in what officials are calling the largest workplace enforcement action in Homeland Security’s history.
The surprise operation, carried out Thursday by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), targeted a construction site tied to Hyundai’s $7.6 billion electric vehicle project. Officials said those arrested were working in violation of visitor or short-term visas that did not authorize employment.
“People on short-term or recreational visas are not authorized to work in the U.S.,” ICE said in a statement. “This raid was necessary to protect American jobs.”
Diplomatic alarm in Seoul
The raid immediately triggered a diplomatic scramble in South Korea, where government leaders voiced alarm over the treatment of their citizens.
South Korea’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Cho Hyun said he felt a “great sense of responsibility” for the arrests, convening an emergency meeting in Seoul on Saturday. “The economic activities of Korean investment companies and the rights and interests of Korean citizens must not be unfairly infringed upon during U.S. law enforcement operations,” the ministry said in a statement.
Diplomats from the South Korean Embassy in Washington and consulate officials in Atlanta have been dispatched to Georgia to provide assistance.
The incident has cast a shadow over South Korea’s multibillion-dollar investment in U.S. manufacturing, which has been championed by President Donald Trump as proof of his economic agenda. Just last week, South Korean President Lee Jae Myung pledged another $150 billion in U.S. investment.
Companies respond
Hyundai said in a statement that none of the detained individuals were direct employees of the company. LG Energy Solution, which co-owns the plant, confirmed that workers from both companies had been taken into custody and said it would “fully cooperate with the relevant authorities.”
“Our top priority is the safety and wellbeing of our employees and partners,” LG said.
The plant, located near Savannah, had been touted by Georgia Governor Brian Kemp as the largest economic development project in the state’s history, expected to employ more than 1,200 people and become a centerpiece of America’s electric vehicle future.
Confusion and criticism
While officials described the operation as part of an ongoing criminal investigation, questions quickly surfaced about whether all those detained were working illegally.
Charles Kuck, an immigration lawyer in Atlanta, said two of his clients were mistakenly caught up in the sweep. Both were in the country under the visa waiver program, which allows short stays for business or tourism without a formal visa.
“My clients were doing exactly what they were allowed to do — attend business meetings,” Kuck told The New York Times. He said one had arrived only days earlier and was scheduled to leave the following week.
ICE countered that some of those detained included individuals with criminal histories, including a Mexican green card holder previously convicted of narcotics possession, firearm theft, and other charges.
Trump: “ICE was just doing its job”
Speaking from the Oval Office on Friday, President Trump defended the raid.
“They were illegal aliens and ICE was just doing its job,” he said. “We want to get along with other countries, but we also want a great, stable workforce. And as I understand it, a lot of illegal aliens were working there.”
The remarks underscored a core tension in Trump’s political strategy: welcoming foreign investment in U.S. manufacturing while aggressively cracking down on immigration.
Homeland Security Investigations Special Agent Steven Schrank said the raid sent “a clear message that those who exploit the system and undermine our workforce will be held accountable.”
Fallout still unfolding
Most of the 475 detained workers spent Thursday night at a federal facility in Folkston, Georgia. Officials said they are still determining employment details and legal statuses before deciding whether charges will be filed or deportations pursued.
For now, construction at the Ellabell site has ground to a halt. And with diplomatic protests mounting in Seoul, the raid risks straining ties between Washington and one of its closest allies at a moment when both nations are seeking deeper cooperation on energy and security.
“This operation may have protected American jobs,” one Korean diplomat said privately, “but it could cost much more in trust.”
