https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/hundreds-south-korean-nationals-detained-largest-single-site-immigrati-rcna229312
Federal and immigration agents arrested 475 people while executing a judicial search warrant at a Hyundai facility in Georgia as part of a criminal investigation into allegations of unlawful employment practices.
Everyone arrested, most of them South Korean nationals, were "illegally present in the United States or in violation of their presence in the United States, working unlawfully," Steven Schrank, special agent in charge of Homeland Security Investigations in Georgia, said at a news conference Friday morning.
It was the largest single-site enforcement operation in the history of Homeland Security Investigations, Schrank said, adding it underscores our commitment to jobs for Georgians and Americans."
https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/us-immigration-agents-arrest-hundreds-raid-georgia-hyundai-plant-2025-09-05/
"This was not an immigration operation where agents went into the premises, rounded up folks and put them on buses," he said. Schrank said there was a network of subcontractors on the site; a Hyundai Motor spokesperson said none of the people detained were employed directly by the automaker, which complies "with all laws and regulations wherever we operate."
The workers were being held at ICE's Folkston, Georgia detention facility, Schrank said. Most of the 475 people are Korean nationals, he said. Local Korean media said roughly 300 people detained were South Korean nationals.
A spokesperson at Hyundai's battery joint venture partner, South Korean battery maker LG Energy Solutions, said in a statement it was cooperating and had paused construction work. The facility, a joint venture between LGES and Hyundai Motor, was due to start operations at the end of this year, according to LGES.
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angrychair
Sep 2025
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