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yesterday

Hundreds of South Korean Workers Fly Home After ICE Raid at Hyundai–LG Battery Site

Seoul reports U.S. pledged no reentry penalties for the workers.

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 South Korean worker who was detained in a huge immigration raid last week at the site of a U.S. car battery project involving Hyundai Motor and LG Energy Solution in the U.S. state of Georgia, hugs a family member in the long term parking lot at the Incheon International Airport in Incheon, South Korea, September 12, 2025. REUTERS/Kim Soo-hyeon
Activists holding signs that reads "No one is illegal!", chant slogans during a press conference to protest against a huge immigration raid last week at the site of a U.S. car battery project involving Hyundai Motor and LG Energy Solution in the U.S. state of Georgia, in front of the U.S. embassy in Seoul, South Korea, September 9, 2025. REUTERS/Kim Hong-Ji
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Overview

  • A chartered Korean Air flight carried 316 South Koreans and 14 other foreign workers from Atlanta, with their arrival in Seoul on Friday ending a week in U.S. detention.
  • The returns were processed as voluntary departures rather than deportations, preserving eligibility for future U.S. entry, according to South Korea's foreign ministry.
  • President Trump encouraged some detainees to remain to continue work, briefly delaying the flight, and one South Korean chose to stay in the United States.
  • ICE maintains many detainees were working illegally on visas that bar employment, while lawyers for several workers argue B-1 and visa‑waiver entries allowed certain installation and training tasks.
  • Hyundai says the Georgia battery project will be delayed by two to three months due to labor disruptions, as Washington and Seoul discuss a working group and potential new visa category after shackling images sparked public outrage in Korea.