Atlanta, Georgia — Over 300 South Korean nationals detained in a sweeping U.S. immigration raid at Hyundai’s massive battery plant construction site in Georgia have been released and flown back to Seoul, according to officials and eyewitness reports. The move comes after a week of diplomatic tension between Washington and Seoul over the treatment of foreign workers and America’s visa system.
A Raid of Unprecedented Scale
The raid took place at the Hyundai-LG joint battery plant in Ellabell, Bryan County, a flagship project valued at more than $7 billion. U.S. immigration authorities arrested 475 workers in total, the majority of them South Korean citizens, alongside Chinese, Japanese, and Indonesian nationals. The operation is one of the largest immigration enforcement actions targeting foreign labor at a single U.S. industrial site in recent memory.
After spending several days at a federal detention center in Folkston, Georgia, the South Korean detainees were bused under tight security to Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, where they boarded a chartered flight back to Seoul.
Diplomatic Fallout
The incident quickly escalated into a diplomatic controversy. South Korea’s government lodged strong complaints over both the arrests and the reported conditions of detention, including claims that workers were handcuffed during transport. President Lee Jae-myung warned that Korean firms could reconsider future U.S. investments unless Washington addressed visa and labor policy issues. “This is a bewildering situation,” Lee said. “We need structural changes to prevent this from happening again.”
Workers Decline U.S. Offer to Stay
While U.S. officials reportedly considered allowing some workers to remain in the country—either to help train American staff or under revised visa arrangements—almost all of those released opted to return to South Korea. Only one worker reportedly stayed due to family ties in the United States.
Business and Economic Impact
Hyundai confirmed that the raid and deportations will delay the launch of the Georgia battery plant by two to three months, dealing a setback to one of the largest foreign investments in the U.S. electric vehicle supply chain. Executives from Hyundai and other Korean companies are now pressing the U.S. to establish a new visa category for specialized technical staff, arguing that their expertise is critical to ensuring high-tech facilities operate smoothly.
Industry analysts warn that the raid could chill foreign investment in the U.S. at a time when the Biden administration and its successor are trying to expand domestic EV production and reduce reliance on Chinese supply chains. “When you treat key partners this way, it sends the wrong message,” said one Seoul-based trade expert.
A Test for U.S.–Korea Relations
The episode highlights the growing tension between U.S. immigration enforcement and its push for global supply-chain partnerships. For South Korea, a key U.S. ally and one of the largest foreign investors in America’s manufacturing sector, the incident is being viewed not just as a legal dispute but as a potential test of trust in the bilateral relationship.
As the dust settles, both governments are under pressure to find solutions that balance immigration rules with the needs of international business — and to ensure that an episode like this does not derail one of the most important industrial partnerships in the U.S.
