South Koreans suspected of working illegally in the US were the majority of the 475 people arrested in a raid on a Hyundai-LG plant being constructed in Georgia, in what officials said was the largest single site operation carried out so far as part of President Donald Trump's anti-migrant drive.
The development came amid strained relations between Washington and Seoul over the former's imposition of tariffs on imported goods. The two countries have been at odds over the details of a trade agreement that includes $350 billion of investments.
A video released by the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement on Saturday showed a caravan of vehicles driving up to Hyundai Motor-LG Energy Solution joint venture plant in the town of Ellabell and federal agents subsequently directing workers wearing hard hats and safety vests to line up outside.
The plant is intended to supply batteries for electric vehicles. The site was earlier described by state officials as Georgia's largest economic development project.
ICE published footage from its raid on the Hyundai–LG battery plant construction site in Georgia, revealing workers in restraints being escorted off the premises.
— Open Source Intel (@Osint613) September 6, 2025
457 people were detained. pic.twitter.com/lKllHEoIcr
Videos circulated on social media showed a man wearing a vest with the letters HIS, an acronym for Homeland Security Investigations, telling workers in yellow safety vests: "We have a search warrant for the whole site. We need construction to cease immediately. We need all the work to end on the site right now."
Some detainees were ordered to put their hands up against a bus as they were frisked and then shackled around their hands, ankles and waist. Others had plastic ties around their wrists as they boarded a Georgia inmate-transfer bus.
Federal agents arrived at the site like it was a "war zone" a construction worker told CNN. "They just told everybody to get on the wall. We stood there for about an hour and were then taken to another section where we waited. Then we went inside another building and got processed," he said, seeking anonymity.
The agents asked each worker for their social security number, date of birthday and other information pertaining to one's identification. Workers who were found to be "legally" staying in the country were handed over a piece of paper that said "clear to depart", to show the same to officers deployed at the gate while leaving the plant, the employee said.
“I would say that they were illegal aliens and ICE was just doing its job. But I know nothing about it so.” - Trump on Hyundai Georgia Plant Raid
— Spencer Hakimian (@SpencerHakimian) September 5, 2025
Good to know the President has no idea what is going on.
pic.twitter.com/OCkj9dnyep
As the word of the raid spread, a worker hid in an air duct to evade the federal agents. "Everyone came out running and told us immigration has arrived. We hid ourselves in an air duct and it was really hot," he said, also on condition of anonymity.
South Korea, Asia's fourth biggest economy, is a key automaker and electronics producer with multiple plants in the US. South Korean companies have invested billions of dollars to build factories in America in a bid to access the US market and avoid tariff threats from President Trump.
According to Steven Schrank, a Homeland Security Investigations special agent in Atlanta, those arrested during the raid were "illegally present in the United States" and "working unlawfully".
Some of those arrested had illegally crossed the US border, others arrived with visas that prohibited them from working and others overstayed their work visas, he said. "This operation underscores our commitment to protecting jobs for Georgians and Americans, ensuring a level playing field for businesses that comply with the law, safeguarding the integrity of our economy and protecting workers from exploitation," he said.
An immigration attorney representing two of the detained workers, however, said his clients arrived from South Korea under a visa waiver program that enables them to travel for tourism or business for stays of 90 days or less without obtaining a visa.
According to Attorney Charles Kuck, one of his clients has been in the US for a couple of weeks, while the other has been in the country for about 45 days, adding that they had been planning to return home soon.
According to the US Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Georgia, several workers tried to flee the spot, including some who "ran into a sewage pond located on the premises".
South Korea vowed to support over 300 of its citizens who were arrested after a US immigration raid on a Hyundai Motor car battery facility in Georgia https://t.co/xvCwgfQEBY pic.twitter.com/rP4Duj1Ya4
— Reuters (@Reuters) September 7, 2025
"Agents used a boat to fish them out of the water. One of the individuals swam under the boat and tried to flip it over to no avail," the US Attorney's Office said. "These people were captured and identified as illegal workers."
Mr Schrank said "this was not an immigration operation where agents went into the premises, rounded up folks and put them on buses". "This has been a multi-month criminal investigation," he said.
The raids stemmed from a "criminal investigation into allegations of unlawful employment practices and serious federal crimes" at the plant. "There was a majority of Korean nationals from the 475," he said, adding that it was the "largest single site enforcement operation in the history of Homeland Security Investigations."
The official could not provide a breakdown of how many of those arrested at the plant were employed by Hyundai, LG or subcontractors. Those taken into custody have been turned over to US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for potential removal, he said.
South Korea expressed "concern and regret" over the raid - that was conducted on Thursday - to the US Embassy in Seoul.
"The economic activities of our investors and the legitimate rights and interests of our nationals must not be unjustly infringed in the course of US law enforcement,"South Korean foreign ministry spokesperson Lee Jae-woong said.
In a statement, Hyundai said it was "closely monitoring" the situation at the Georgia construction site and "working to understand the specific circumstances." "As of today, it is our understanding that none of those detained is directly employed by Hyundai Motor Company," the firm said.
LG Energy Solution said it was "gathering all relevant details." "We will fully cooperate with the relevant authorities," it added.
James Woo, communications director for the Atlanta office of Asian Americans Advancing Justice, said he has been in constant touch with South Korean residents across Georgia.
"People are in shock," Mr. Woo was quoted as saying by the New York Times. He noted that the Korean community in Savannah was small and "has never become one" with the plant and its workers.
"There aren't the same resources you'd find in Atlanta," he said. "People don't know where to go, or how to find legal representation."
(With agency inputs)
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