Topline
South Korean officials on Friday expressed concern about an immigration raid targeting hundreds of the country’s nationals at a Hyundai electric vehicle battery plant near Savannah, Georgia, just weeks after the Korean carmaker announced plans to invest $26 billion in the U.S.
In a post on X, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives said agents from its Atlanta office had joined other federal and state agencies—including FBI, DEA, ICE, HSI, Georgia State Patrol, and others—to conduct the raid at the EV battery site in Bryan County, Georgia.
The ATF’s post claimed the raid at the facility, which is jointly operated by Hyundai Motor Group and LG Energy Solution, led to the detention of around “450 unlawful aliens.”
Some 475 people were detained in the operation, Steven Schrank, Special Agent in Charge for Homeland Security Investigations, said during a briefing Friday, noting a majority of workers detained were from South Korea.
Schrank, who said the raid was the “largest single-site enforcement operation” in Homeland Security’s history, said the detained workers were part of a “network of subcontractors” and many worked for different companies on the site.
The South Korean foreign ministry on Friday said it has expressed concerns about the detention to the U.S. Embassy in Seoul.
The South Korean foreign ministry added: “The economic activities of our investing companies and the rights and interests of our citizens must not be unjustly infringed during the process of U.S. law enforcement.”
The report said that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) sent agents to the manufacturing facility to carry out a search warrant and Seoul did not receive any prior notice of the matter. The report said South Korean officials are still seeking to fully understand the situation, although it is unclear why this specific factory was targeted. South Korea has sent its embassy and consular officials in Washington and Atlanta to the raid site to set up a task force to resolve the issue. Yonhap said “individuals from Seoul” had entered the U.S. on a B1 temporary visitor visa, although it is unclear if this is referring to the detained workers. The B1 is granted to foreign nationals seeking to enter the U.S. for business purposes like negotiating a contract, attending a conference or consulting with business associates.
Late last month, Hyundai Motor Group announced it would invest $26 billion in the U.S. over the next three years. The company said this investment will be made between 2025 and 2028 and it will create 25,000 new direct jobs in the country. The investment will include a new steel mill in Louisiana, a “Robotics Innovation Hub… with an annual capacity of 30,000 units” and expanded auto production for Hyundai and Kia cars in the country.
S. Korea says rights must not be 'unfairly violated' after U.S. raid on Hyundai-LG battery plant site (Yonhap News)