More than 300 South Korean workers detained in a U.S. immigration enforcement raid on an electric battery plant under construction in Georgia may be allowed to return to South Korea after negotiations between Seoul and Washington, South Korean and U.S. officials said.
South Korea’s foreign minister traveled to the United States to press for the workers’ return, and a Korean Air Boeing 747-8i left Seoul late Tuesday and was expected in Atlanta on Wednesday to repatriate those granted departures. The State Department announced that Secretary of State Marco Rubio would meet with Foreign Minister Cho Hyun at the White House on Wednesday morning to discuss the matter.
U.S. authorities said about 475 people were detained during Thursday’s raid at the battery factory being built on the campus of Hyundai’s sprawling auto plant west of Savannah. South Korean officials said more than 300 of those detained were South Korean nationals being held at an immigration detention center in Folkston, in southeast Georgia near the Florida state line.
Seoul and Washington were discussing the logistics of returning the South Korean nationals, with South Korean officials emphasizing a preference for "voluntary" departures rather than formal deportations. A deportation could bar individuals from returning to the United States for up to 10 years, South Korean diplomats said.
South Korea’s consul general in Washington, Cho Ki-joong, was shown on South Korean television outside the Folkston detention center and said some administrative steps remained but that processes were "going smoothly." The South Korean Foreign Ministry declined to comment on media reports that embassy staff had met with detained workers.
U.S. authorities described those held in the operation as "unlawfully working" at the construction site. Attorneys representing several detained South Koreans disputed that characterization, saying many of the workers were operating under the terms of the B-1 business visitor visa program. Charles Kuck, a lawyer for some of the detainees, said the "vast majority" were performing work he described as permitted under B-1 status.
Immigration attorneys said B-1 business visitor visas allow foreign workers to remain in the United States for up to six months in certain circumstances and to be reimbursed for expenses while receiving pay in their home country. There are limits on what B-1 holders may do on construction sites; attorneys noted that supervisory roles, equipment installation spelled out in contracts, and certain short-term business activities can be permissible. South Korea is also among the 41 countries whose citizens may use the U.S. Electronic System for Travel Authorization, or ESTA, which provides visa-waiver travel for up to 90 days and generally confers B-1 status when travel is for business.
Local officials and residents in Pooler, the suburb of Savannah near the Hyundai complex, said the raid has heightened anxiety within the area’s growing Korean community. The Hyundai electric vehicle plant has spurred rapid change in Pooler, bringing construction of housing and amenities as well as a rise in Korean-owned businesses.
"People are very upset about the incident, the arrest of the workers," said Ruby Gould, president of the Korean American Association of Greater Savannah. "I’m sure there are some people in fear about this visa situation after they witnessed what’s happened."
Pastor Robin Kim, who recently moved to Pooler and is establishing a church, said many Korean residents have curtailed normal activities and urged caution. He described messages circulating in a local chat group of about 1,900 residents and said some community members feared they were being watched. "They’re trying to keep a low profile right now, to not go out much and stay home," he said.
The U.S. Census Bureau reported Pooler’s population rose to 31,171 last year, a 21% increase since 2020 that coincided with the Hyundai plant’s groundbreaking and construction. People of Asian origin made up 6% of the city’s residents in 2020. Local leaders say a substantial portion of recent newcomers are Korean nationals linked to the Hyundai project and its suppliers.
Some community members expressed frustration that the raid could affect ongoing immigration processes such as visa renewals or green card applications, and noted the economic ties between Hyundai’s multibillion-dollar investment and the creation of thousands of U.S. jobs. Others cautioned against public demonstrations, concerned that protests could draw increased scrutiny.
U.S. and South Korean officials have focused on arranging departures that would allow workers to leave voluntarily and preserve future travel eligibility. Legal questions about visa classification, the scope of permitted activities under B-1 and ESTA, and how those rules apply to large-scale construction projects are likely to be central as individual cases are reviewed.
Investigations and any administrative or legal actions will proceed amid diplomatic engagement. South Korean officials indicated they were working to complete necessary steps quickly so that the repatriation flight could be used for workers cleared for departure. Hyundai and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement had not publicly detailed how many detainees would be eligible for voluntary departure at the time of the announcements.
The raid and its aftermath underscore tensions at the intersection of large foreign investment projects, cross-border labor arrangements and U.S. immigration enforcement. Residents and community leaders in Pooler said they hoped the incident would not have lasting effects on the suburb’s growing Korean community and its economic ties to the Hyundai plant.
Associated Press writers Hyung-Jin Kim in Seoul and Didi Tang and Paul Wiseman in Washington contributed to this report.