South Korea has reached an agreement with U.S. authorities to secure the release and repatriation of hundreds of workers detained after a U.S. immigration raid at an under-construction Hyundai battery and electric vehicle plant in Georgia.
U.S. Homeland Security Investigations said 475 people who were in the country illegally were arrested during the operation at the Ellabell, Ga., site on Sept. 4, 2025. HSI said the detainees were primarily South Korean nationals; some had crossed the U.S. border illegally, while others had entered legally but either held expired visas or were on visa waivers that barred employment.
HSI Georgia chief Steven Schrank said some of those arrested worked for subcontractors on the construction site. Authorities have paused work at the multibillion-dollar EV and battery project. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and other federal law enforcement agencies participated in the operation, HSI said.
Hyundai Motor Group, which owns the site, told reporters it understood that none of the detained workers were directly employed by Hyundai Motor Company. "We prioritize the safety and well-being of everyone working at the site and comply with all laws and regulations wherever we operate," the company said in a statement.
Seoul moved quickly to secure the detainees' return. President Lee Jae-myung's office said the South Korean government would dispatch a charter plane to bring the workers back in the coming days. South Korea's Foreign Ministry earlier issued a statement expressing "concern and regret" over the raid and said it had been in contact with U.S. officials about the matter.
Video released by U.S. authorities showed detained manufacturing workers being restrained at the site during the enforcement action. HSI and other agencies said their review of the plant's workforce and hiring practices was ongoing as authorities processed the detainees.
The Ellabell facility is part of a high-profile Hyundai Motor Group investment in electric vehicles and batteries in the southeastern United States. Construction of the plant, expected to create thousands of jobs, has been temporarily halted while investigators and contractors assess the situation.
Federal workplace immigration enforcement operations have increased under the administration of President Donald Trump, officials and analysts say, and large-scale raids have prompted diplomatic concern when foreign nationals are involved. In a separate enforcement operation last month, federal authorities conducting a raid at a cannabis farm in California clashed with local officials and discovered children working at the site.
South Korean diplomats and consular officials are expected to remain involved as the detainees' cases proceed through U.S. immigration and removal processes or until they are repatriated. The timeline for processing, formal charges if any, and the exact number of people to be returned will depend on ongoing coordination between U.S. authorities and the South Korean government.
