Korean Workers At Spring Hill TN Plant Leave; Co-Located GM EV Plant Lays Off Half Of 1,400 In Workforce [View all]

[hatrack]

Federal agents last week carried out the largest single-site immigration raid in Homeland Security’s history at LG Energy Solution’s joint battery facility with Hyundai Motor in Georgia, detaining 475 workers — more than 300 of them South Korean nationals. In the aftermath of the Sept. 4 raid, Korean employees at the company’s Spring Hill, Tenn. operation left the U.S., citing growing concerns over visa status and legal uncertainty, according to a Reuters report.

The report comes after a July announcement that LG Energy Solutions and GM announced the latest stepping-stone of its $2.3 billion joint venture to produce low-cost battery cells known as lithium iron phosphate (LFP) at its Spring Hill production site.

Many of the Georgia detainees held Electronic System for Travel Authorization visa waivers or B-1 temporary business traveler visas, according to Reuters. Those documents do not allow non-citizens to work in the U.S. in construction or equipment installation.

That operation has impacted auto manufacturing operations in Tennessee. Located on the General Motors’ Spring Hill production site, Ultium Cells — a joint venture between the country’s largest automaker and LG Energy Solutions — has felt the ripple effect.

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https://www.tennessean.com/story/money/cars/2025/09/12/south-korean-factory-workers-flee-spring-hill-tennessee-hyundai-raid/86096234007/