Hundreds of South Koreans Arrested By ICE After Raid on Georgia Hyundai Plant

Almost 500 South Korean workers at an under-construction battery plant in the southern US state of Georgia were detained by ICE yesterday after being accused of illegally immigrating to the country.

The arrests are part of the largest-ever Homeland Security operation at a single location, with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers detaining over 475 South Koreans at the plant. The factory, once complete, will produce batteries for electric vehicles and is officially co-owned by LG and Hyundai, two major South Korean companies. However, Hyundai has confirmed that none of their employees have been detained in the process.

Meanwhile, another section of the factory is fully operational and manufactures EVs, but they were unaffected by the raids.

The construction of the plant is also the largest single industrial development project in Georgia's history, costing a staggering $7.6 billion to construct, but it is one of the state's largest plants for any sort of manufacturing– once complete, it will employ over 1,200 people. While the factory was slated to be completed by the end of the year, that deadline could be pushed back if this matter is not resolved quickly– all construction has halted at the site, which is over 3,000 acres in size.

According to the Department of Homeland Security, an investigation had taken place in the months prior to the arrests, with officials working to find out the legality of the immigrants working at the plant. Following their research, the team then obtained a search warrant from an official judge, claiming that the actions inside the plant involved "unlawful employment practices and other serious federal crimes." Then, the operation went into action yesterday, with ICE raiding the plant and arresting everyone inside.

However, the department later realized that various "illegal" immigrants were actually legal citizens and are working to release those who were wrongfully detained. Nevertheless, many of the South Koreans in custody have legally entered the United States for a short period of time.

Furthermore, the plant is relatively far from the major city of Atlanta– instead, it is located extremely close to the town of Savannah – more specifically, the town of Ellabell – which does not have a significant Korean population. Due to this, many workers are struggling to find lawyers or people who can support their claims, preventing them from proving to ICE that they are legal.

Now, LG and South Korea are working hard to get their people out as soon as possible. Several officials from the South Korean embassy have arrived in Ellabell to deal with the situation, and LG is working remotely to ensure the safe release of their employees and the employees of their partner companies.

On a separate note, the raid comes just after South Korea agreed to invest over $350 billion into the US economy, much of which involves battery manufacturing. Their products are already facing steep tariffs from the US, and the arrests of their citizens could further damage ties between the two allies.

Various South Koreans have also commented on how the US urges the country to invest in America but refuses to issue visas to South Korean citizens, preventing them from arriving in the US. In this situation, the South Koreans which have managed to obtain a visa have been arrested as well, deterring their citizens from coming to work in the US.

Fact of the Day (The Fact Site): During WWII, a U.S. naval destroyer won a battle against a Japanese submarine by throwing potatoes at them. The USS O'Bannon threw them as a distraction, as the Japanese thought they were grenades, allowing the Americans to sink the ship using their depth charges.

Quote of the Day (Gracious Quotes): I always assumed that the reason I’ve never run a marathon is because I haven’t bought a pair of shorts and arrived at the start line. (Sue Perkinsk)

Word of the Day (Merriam-Webster): Histrionic (adj, his-tree-AH-nik) - Histrionic is a word used disapprovingly to describe someone or something that is too emotional or dramatic.

In a Sentence: The head chef had a penchant for dish throwing, door slamming, and other histrionic displays of temper whenever a dish was sent back to the kitchen.

Image credit to Hyundai Motor Group