SEOUL/ATLANTA – More than 300 South Korean nationals were among 475 people arrested in a U.S. immigration raid at a Hyundai Motor–LG Energy Solution battery plant under construction in Georgia, South Korea’s foreign minister confirmed on Saturday.
The large-scale operation, conducted on Thursday in the town of Ellabell, marked the biggest single-site raid carried out under former U.S. President Donald Trump’s anti-migrant crackdown, according to Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).
Steven Schrank, an HSI special agent in Atlanta, said the raid stemmed from a “multi-month criminal investigation into unlawful employment practices and serious federal crimes,” stressing that “this was not an immigration operation where agents went into the premises, rounded up folks and put them on buses.”
Foreign Minister Cho Hyun convened an emergency meeting in Seoul, saying, “More than 300 are believed to be our nationals. We are deeply concerned and feel a heavy sense of responsibility over this matter.” He added that he was prepared to travel to Washington for talks if needed.
U.S. officials said those arrested were “illegally present in the United States” and have been handed over to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for potential removal. Asked about the operation, Trump told reporters at the White House: “They were illegal aliens, and ICE was just doing its job.”
Seoul had earlier urged Washington to respect the rights of its citizens, with foreign ministry spokesperson Lee Jae-woong warning that “the legitimate rights and interests of our nationals must not be unjustly infringed in the course of U.S. law enforcement.”
LG Energy Solution confirmed that 47 of its employees were among those detained — 46 South Koreans and one Indonesian. The company said around 250 others arrested were believed to be contractor employees, most of them South Korean nationals.
The Ellabell plant, a joint venture between Hyundai Motor and LG Energy Solution, is designed to supply batteries for electric vehicles and is seen as a key part of both companies’ expansion into the U.S. clean energy market.
