South Korean Workers Detained in Georgia Immigration Raid Return Home

A plane carrying more than 300 South Korean workers, detained during an immigration raid at a Hyundai battery plant in Georgia, departed Atlanta on Thursday, bound for South Korea. The workers had been held at an immigration detention center in Folkston, Georgia, following the raid on September 4, 2025, which resulted in the detention of approximately 475 individuals, including 316 South Koreans, 10 Chinese nationals, three Japanese nationals, and one Indonesian.

The raid targeted a battery factory under construction at Hyundai's electric vehicle manufacturing site in Ellabell, Georgia. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) described the operation as the largest single-site enforcement action in the agency's history.

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung expressed concerns that such incidents could deter future investments by Korean companies in the United States. He highlighted disputes over the detainees being handcuffed and their classification as voluntary departures or deportees. President Trump issued a directive allowing detainees to return home freely or stay if they wished to, which temporarily paused the deportation process.

Hyundai Motor Co. CEO José Muñoz announced that construction at the battery facility will be postponed by two to three months due to the arrest of hundreds of workers, many of whom were South Korean technical experts essential for installing and validating equipment.

The incident has prompted discussions between South Korean and U.S. officials to establish a joint working group aimed at creating a new visa category for skilled workers, addressing concerns over the U.S. visa system and its impact on foreign investments.