What was supposed to be a record-breaking venture in Georgia—a Hyundai Motor Group-LG Energy Solution-backed electric vehicle battery factory—ended up becoming the point of dispute. The colossal factory on the outskirts of Savannah was to be Georgia’s biggest economic development project, the symbol of Pacific expansion, and the promise of jobs for thousands. That promise, however, was eclipsed by the fact that it was the site of the biggest-ever immigration raid at one U.S. location.
Federal officials raided the building site on a Thursday morning and took 475 workers into custody in a display of force. Motorcades of government vehicles roamed the property, and waves of employees were led out, handcuffs on the majority of wrists, ankles, and waists. Most of the workers arrested were South Korean nationals employed by subcontractors to maintain the project schedule. For a project publicized as demonstrating cooperation and imagination, photographs spoke a very different story.
Steven Schrank, head of Georgia’s Homeland Security Investigations, said the raid resulted from a months-long probe of abusive labor conditions. Some of the workers were here illegally, others had out-of-date visas, and others worked under visa waivers that banned labor.
The arrest was one facet of the Trump administration’s nationwide cross-country immigration crackdown, more generally, one aimed at making wholesale arrests across the nation. As the ex-president recounted, “They were illegal aliens and ICE was just doing its job.”
The South Korean response was instant and toxic. Politicians there were incensed because the nation had invested billions in the US market and committed to buy huge quantities of American energy. The government of President Lee Jae Myung moved fast, deploying Foreign Minister Cho Hyun to Washington for expedited talks. Seoul expressed “concern and regret,” confirming that the country’s citizens and business sectors cannot be made pawns for the application of US law.
The two friends had agreed by the weekend under which the arrested workers would be released. South Korea had committed to sending them back home on a flight after clearing the documents.
The repair was greeted eagerly, but could not clear the shock. The raid was described as a “shock” by Seoul newspapers, promising that it would scare investors off in the future. His domestic political opponents criticized President Lee for his inability to protect citizens as well as domestic business interests.
The tug-of-war was more than diplomatic. The battery factory is precisely the kind of investment that American policymakers have been eager to see—strategic, forward-looking, and attached to jobs. And yet, the conflict between embracing foreign investment and hard-line immigration policy exposed a sour contradiction. Georgia officials, who have courted Korean partners for years, were pulled between the promotion of development and the support of federal enforcement.
Hyundai and LG Energy Solution, nonetheless, maintained public comment to a bare minimum. Hyundai underscored that no immediate employees were arrested, while LG officially announced 47 of its employees had been arrested, some in transit within the U.S. on temporary business visas.
Both entities are committed to investigating subcontractor procedures. LG suspended travel as well, asking its U.S. employees to be careful or go back to their home country.
In its wake, Washington and Seoul both moved to re-examine visa policy and labor regulation, not wanting the chaos to repeat. The raid is finished, but its legacy endures—on diplomacy, on supply chains, and on the delicate balance between attracting foreign investment and upholding local law.