Over 300 South Korean workers detained in Georgia ICE raid sent home

More than 300 South Koreans detained in a massive U.S. immigration raid at a Hyundai-LG electric vehicle battery plant under construction in Georgia have been released and flown back to Seoul. The raid, carried out by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on September 4, was the agency’s largest single-site operation, detaining around 475 people suspected of visa violations. ICE claimed many workers had overstayed short-term visa waivers (ESTA) or held business visas (B-1) that did not permit manual labor.

A Korean Air charter flight was arranged after detainees were bussed from Georgia to Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson airport. South Korea’s Foreign Ministry confirmed 330 people — 316 of them South Koreans — were on board. The arrests triggered a political storm in Seoul, where lawmakers criticized the U.S. for heavy-handed action and even called for scrutiny of Americans working illegally in South Korea.

The episode strained U.S.-South Korea ties, despite Seoul being Washington’s sixth-largest trading partner and a major investor, pledging $350 billion in U.S. projects. President Lee Jae Myung condemned the incident, saying it unfairly infringed on Korean citizens and companies, while Foreign Minister Cho Hyun pressed Secretary of State Marco Rubio for more U.S. work visas for skilled Korean professionals. Analysts say the case exposes long-standing gaps in the U.S. visa system, with industry experts warning it could hurt investment in key sectors like batteries, semiconductors, and shipbuilding.

Despite the backlash, business leaders in Seoul called the raid a “temporary blip,” expressing optimism that it could spur reforms to ease legal pathways for Korean workers. President Trump defended the crackdown but encouraged foreign companies to “legally bring your very smart people” to help train Americans before hiring them locally. South Korea has requested that deported workers face no penalties for future U.S. visits and proposed creating a bilateral working group to prevent such crises.