South Korea has formally raised concerns with the U.S. after a large-scale immigration raid at a Hyundai construction site in Georgia left “many” South Korean nationals in custody.
On Friday, Seoul’s foreign ministry said it expressed “concern and regret” to the U.S. Embassy in Washington. “The economic activities of our companies investing in the U.S. and the rights and interests of our nationals must not be unfairly violated,” ministry spokesperson Lee Jae-woong told reporters, according to Yonhap News.
The raid unfolded Thursday morning at Hyundai and LG Energy Solution’s massive battery plant project in Ellabell, about 30 minutes west of Savannah. The site, considered one of Georgia’s biggest manufacturing investments, employs roughly 1,400 people.
Agents from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), and other federal agencies swarmed the multi-acre construction zone. An ICE spokesperson said the operation was part of a probe into “unlawful employment practices and other serious federal crimes.”
Steven Schrank, who leads HSI in Georgia, told reporters that “many arrests of undocumented individuals” were being made. He didn’t provide exact numbers.
Videos circulating online — later verified by NBC News — show federal agents telling workers they had a search warrant and ordering construction to stop immediately. Some clips show workers lined up as agents checked IDs and searched bags.
A worker who witnessed the raid told NBC News that agents questioned everyone on site about their citizenship.
Hyundai confirmed the raid in a statement, saying it was cooperating fully with authorities. “We are committed to abiding by all labor and immigration regulations,” said company spokesperson Michael Stewart.
Construction has since been paused, according to HL-GA Battery Co., the Hyundai–LG joint venture overseeing the site. Buses, Humvees, and hundreds of unmarked law enforcement vehicles were reportedly seen entering the property during the raid.
The investigation is ongoing, with officials signaling it could extend well beyond this week.
South Korea has a lot riding on its U.S. investments. The country, the world’s 10th-largest economy, has committed hundreds of billions of dollars to American projects in recent years. Just this March, Hyundai boosted its U.S. investment plans from $21 billion to $26 billion through 2028 — from new steel and robotics plants to expanded auto manufacturing. The company says these projects will create about 25,000 new U.S. jobs. Photo by HD Hyundai, Wikimedia commons.
