South Korea has successfully reached an agreement with the United States to repatriate more than 300 South Korean workers detained following a large-scale immigration raid at Hyundai’s manufacturing plant in Georgia.
On Thursday, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents carried out a major enforcement action at Hyundai’s sprawling electric vehicle manufacturing facility in southern Georgia. During the sweep, authorities arrested 475 individuals suspected of unauthorized employment in the United States, with South Korea’s Foreign Minister Cho Hyun confirming that over 300 of those apprehended were South Korean nationals.
Following urgent diplomatic negotiations, South Korea’s presidential chief of staff, Kang Hoon-sik, announced that an agreement had been finalized to release the detained workers and repatriate them to South Korea. He stated that the process to complete necessary administrative formalities was underway and that plans were in motion to send a chartered plane for their return.
Steven Schrank, the special agent in charge of Homeland Security Investigations in Georgia and Alabama, told the media that the detained workforce included contractors from different companies but the majority consisted of Korean nationals, although an exact figure was not immediately available.
The raid has prompted significant diplomatic attention as it affected workers largely employed in Hyundai’s electric vehicle plant, highlighting complex issues at the intersection of immigration enforcement and international labor relations.
Authorities and Hyundai have yet to publicly comment in depth on the diplomatic outcome or the broader implications of the raid. However, this agreement marks a notable resolution for the detained Korean workers, who faced uncertain legal circumstances in the wake of the ICE operations.
This incident underscores ongoing tensions regarding immigration enforcement in critical U.S. industrial sectors and demonstrates the proactive steps taken by a foreign government to protect its nationals abroad.