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4h ago

Hundreds of Korean Battery-Plant Workers Released in U.S. Raid Fly Home on Voluntary Departure

Seoul moves to prevent a repeat by pushing a new short-term industrial visa.

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Detainees are made to stand against a bus before being handcuffed, during a raid by federal agents where about 300 South Koreans were among 475 people arrested at the site of a $4.3 billion project by Hyundai Motor and LG Energy Solution to build batteries for electric cars in Ellabell, Georgia, U.S., September 4, 2025 in a still image taken from a video. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement/Handout via REUTERS /File Photo
A Korean Air charter plane taxis at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport in Atlanta, Wednesday, Sept. 10, 2025, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)
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Overview

  • Authorities released 330 detainees, including 316 South Koreans, who departed Atlanta on a chartered Korean Air flight without restraints after consular negotiations.
  • ICE said 475 people were arrested at the Hyundai–LG EV battery construction site in Georgia, calling it the largest single-site operation in HSI history and alleging many worked in violation of B-1 or visa waiver rules.
  • President Trump asked agencies to pause repatriations to consider letting some workers remain to train U.S. staff, but Seoul urged that the exhausted detainees return first.
  • One South Korean chose to stay in the U.S. to pursue legal action, while the rest departed under voluntary departure to avoid long reentry bans tied to deportation.
  • Foreign Minister Cho Hyun and Secretary of State Marco Rubio discussed a working group to explore a new visa category and secured assurances on future reentry as President Lee warned the episode could deter investment.