Massive ICE Raid Targets South Korean Workers at Georgia Hyundai EV Plant Amidst Allegations of Unlawful Employment Practices

In Savannah, Georgia, a significant immigration enforcement operation was carried out at a vast industrial site where Hyundai, a South Korean automaker, produces electric vehicles. According to a Homeland Security official, approximately 475 individuals were detained during the raid.

At a press conference on Friday, Steven Schrank, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations, stated that the majority of those apprehended were South Korean nationals. Schrank emphasized that this operation reaffirmed their commitment to creating jobs for Georgians and Americans, claiming it as the largest single-site enforcement operation in the history of Homeland Security Investigations.

The investigation leading up to the raid had been ongoing for several months, with authorities receiving tips from community members and former workers.

South Korea’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lee Jaewoong described the number of detained South Koreans as substantial but did not provide an exact figure. He confirmed that the employees in question were part of a network of subcontractors working for various companies on the site.

The raid targeted one of Georgia’s most prominent manufacturing facilities, which was launched last year and is considered the state’s largest economic development project in history. Hyundai Motor Group, South Korea’s leading automaker, began producing EVs at the $7.6 billion plant employing around 1,200 people. The company has partnered with LG Energy Solution to build an adjacent battery plant, set to open next year.

In response to the raid, LG stated that they are closely monitoring the situation and gathering all relevant details. They could not immediately confirm how many of their employees or Hyundai workers were detained. Emphasizing employee safety and cooperation with authorities, LG said, “Our top priority is always ensuring the safety and well-being of our employees and partners.”

Hyundai’s South Korean office did not respond to requests for comment immediately.

ICE spokesman Lindsay Williams confirmed that federal agents conducted an enforcement operation at the 3,000-acre site west of Savannah, Georgia, focusing on the construction site for the battery plant.

In a televised statement, Lee stated that the ministry is taking active measures to address the case, dispatching diplomats from its embassy in Washington and consulate in Atlanta to the site, and planning to form an on-site response team centered on the local mission.

Lee stressed, “The business activities of our investors and the rights of our nationals must not be unjustly infringed in the process of U.S. law enforcement.”

According to the Department of Homeland Security, agents executed a search warrant as part of an ongoing criminal investigation into allegations of unlawful employment practices and other serious federal crimes.

The raid comes amidst President Trump’s administration’s extensive ICE operations as part of a mass deportation agenda. Immigration officers have conducted raids at farms, construction sites, restaurants, and auto repair shops across the country.

Preliminary Census Bureau data reported by the Pew Research Center suggests that the U.S. labor force lost over 1.2 million immigrants from January through July, including both those in the country illegally and legal residents.

In a statement, Hyundai and LG’s battery joint venture, HL-GA Battery Company, said they are “cooperating fully with the appropriate authorities” and have paused construction of the battery site to assist their work. The operations at Hyundai’s EV manufacturing plant were not interrupted, according to a plant spokesperson.