The South Korean government said it is working to bring home its citizens detained during a massive immigration raid at a Hyundai facility in Ellabell, Georgia last week.
Federal and immigration authorities arrested 475 people as part of an investigation into alleged unlawful employment practices. More than 300 of those detained were South Korean nationals, a government spokesperson told NBC News. U.S. officials, who executed the raid with a search warrant, said the workers were in the country illegally.
President Lee Jae Myung’s office confirmed on Sunday that the detainees will be flown back to South Korea on a chartered plane. Hyundai, when asked for comment on Monday, pointed CNBC to its earlier statement saying the company is “committed to full compliance with all laws and regulations in every market.”
The operation was the largest single-site enforcement action in the history of the Department of Homeland Security, according to Steven Schrank, the special agent in charge of Homeland Security Investigations in Georgia. He said those detained were employed by contractors and subcontractors rather than Hyundai directly.
U.S. Attorney Margaret Heap said more than 400 agents took part in the sweep. “The goal of this operation is to reduce illegal employment and prevent employers from gaining an unfair advantage by hiring unauthorized workers,” Heap said. “Another goal is to protect unauthorized workers from exploitation.”
White House border czar Tom Homan told CNN’s “State of the Union” on Sunday that more workplace raids are planned. “We’re going to do more worksite enforcement operations,” he said. “These companies that hire illegal aliens, they undercut their competition that’s paying U.S. citizen salaries.”
The Georgia site is home to both Hyundai and LG Energy Solution, which are building a $7.6 billion battery manufacturing plant. The project, which began construction in 2022, employs more than 1,200 people and has already started producing electric vehicles. LG Energy Solution said 47 of its workers were among those detained, along with about 250 from “equipment partner companies.”
Hyundai stressed on Friday that none of those arrested were direct employees of the automaker. The company added Monday that business travel to the United States continues, though some trips are subject to internal review.
South Korea’s foreign ministry expressed “concern and regret” to the U.S. Embassy in a statement, urging officials to protect the rights of its citizens. “In the course of U.S. law enforcement, the economic activities of our investment firms and the rights and interests of our nationals must not be unjustly infringed upon,” ministry spokesperson Lee Jae-woong said.
On Truth Social, President Donald Trump called on foreign companies to respect American immigration laws. “Your Investments are welcome, and we encourage you to LEGALLY bring your very smart people, with great technical talent, to build World Class products, and we will make it quickly and legally possible for you to do so. What we ask in return is that you hire and train American Workers,” he wrote.
Trump later told reporters the enforcement action had no bearing on U.S.–South Korea economic ties, saying Washington maintains “a great relationship” with Seoul.
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