South Korea said it had concluded talks with U.S. authorities to arrange the release of its nationals detained in a large immigration enforcement operation at a Hyundai‑linked battery plant in Georgia, and that a chartered plane would be sent to bring detainees home if U.S. administrative procedures were completed.
Kang Hoon‑sik, chief of staff to South Korea’s president, said Seoul was also seeking improvements to U.S. visa procedures to prevent similar incidents in the future. The detention of hundreds of foreign workers at one of Georgia’s largest foreign investment projects has prompted concern in Seoul because it occurred as the two allies engage in sensitive trade and investment discussions.
U.S. officials said Immigration and Customs Enforcement detained 475 people during the raid, more than 300 of them South Korean nationals, at the battery facility operated by LG Energy Solution and Hyundai. ICE officials released video footage that showed detained workers handcuffed in front of a building, some wearing yellow vests bearing names such as "Hyundai" and "LG CNS." ICE said those on short‑term or recreational visas are not authorized to work in the United States and that the operation was necessary to protect American jobs.
"They were illegal aliens and ICE was just doing its job," President Donald Trump said after the raids. Homeland Security Investigations Special Agent Steven Schrank said in a statement that the enforcement action "sends a clear message that those who exploit the system and undermine our workforce will be held accountable."
LG Energy Solution said many of the employees arrested were on business trips using various visas or had traveled under the U.S. visa waiver program. The company said it would suspend most business travel to the United States and direct employees on assignment in the U.S. to return home immediately. LG said 47 of its employees were detained, along with roughly 250 workers employed by contractors at the joint venture factory.
The detained workers are being held at an ICE facility in Folkston, Georgia. State and federal officials carried out the operation at the plant, which produces battery components for electric vehicles and had been hailed by Georgia’s Republican governor as the largest economic development project in the state’s history. The factory, a joint effort by Hyundai and LG, was expected to employ about 1,200 people.
South Korea is a close U.S. ally and has pledged tens of billions of dollars in American manufacturing investment, in part to offset U.S. tariffs and deepen economic ties. The timing of the raid has drawn attention in Seoul, where some media described the action as a "shock" and warned it could have a chilling effect on the activities of South Korean businesses in the United States.
U.S. officials have defended the enforcement action as a routine application of immigration law. South Korean officials, while seeking the return of detained nationals, indicated they would press for changes in visa administration to reduce the risk that short‑term or business visitors might be caught up in future immigration enforcement operations.
The incident highlights tensions that can arise between immigration enforcement and international economic cooperation as governments balance law enforcement with efforts to attract and protect foreign investment.