U.S. federal agents executed a large-scale immigration enforcement raid at a Hyundai electric car battery plant construction site in Georgia, resulting in the arrest of approximately 450 illegal migrants. The operation, conducted by the ATF in collaboration with ICE and HSI, targets a $4.3 billion to $7.6 billion joint venture between Hyundai and LG Energy Solution. The facility, set to supply batteries for Hyundai’s Savannah EV plant, is the largest industrial investment in Georgia’s history. The South Korean government has expressed concern over the raid’s impact on its economic interests and employees’ rights in the U.S. The site’s construction was suspended following the raid, though the adjacent EV manufacturing facility remains operational.
Officials from the South Korean Foreign Ministry conveyed their deep concern and regret regarding the raid, emphasizing that South Korea’s economic ventures in the U.S. and its citizens’ rights should not be unjustly affected by the enforcement of U.S. laws. Lee Jae-woong, a spokesperson for the South Korean foreign ministry, conveyed their stance to the Financial Times, stating that the legal enforcement process in the United States should not infringe upon their companies’ economic activities or their people’s rights. The Korean government is also working closely with U.S. agencies to ensure the safety of its employees and contractors and to secure their swift release from detention following the raid. Fox News Digital has reached out to Hyundai and LGES for additional commentary on the matter.
Meanwhile, the site located 20 miles outside of Savannah, which spans over 3,000 acres, witnessed the suspension of construction activities at the time of the raid. Nevertheless, the construction at the adjacent EV manufacturing facility, which is already operational, experienced no disruption. The incident is part of a broader pattern of workplace raids that have been occurring across the U.S. in the last few months, many of which have been linked to the Trump administration’s immigration policies. The South Korean Foreign Ministry is expressing its concern over the implications of this raid, particularly as it follows a significant trade deal valued at $350 billion in investments between South Korea and the U.S., signed in July. The Korean government is also concerned that the legal procedures in the United States might affect its business operations and the rights of its citizens in the country.
Further details of the raid reveal that video footage obtained from social media shows workers in yellow safety vests aligned as a man, wearing a face mask and a tactical vest marked with the letters HSI (Homeland Security Investigations), instructed them to cease work immediately. This man, presumably an agent of HSI, declared,