{"id":163323,"date":"2025-09-06T02:08:08","date_gmt":"2025-09-06T02:08:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/hundreds-of-south-korean-nationals-detained-in-largest-single-site-immigration-raid-nbc-news\/"},"modified":"2025-09-06T02:08:08","modified_gmt":"2025-09-06T02:08:08","slug":"hundreds-of-south-korean-nationals-detained-in-largest-single-site-immigration-raid-nbc-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/quixnet.net\/wpinstance\/hundreds-of-south-korean-nationals-detained-in-largest-single-site-immigration-raid-nbc-news\/","title":{"rendered":"Hundreds of South Korean nationals detained in largest single-site immigration raid – NBC News"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Federal and immigration agents arrested 475 people while executing a judicial search warrant at a Hyundai facility in Georgia <\/a>as part of a criminal investigation into allegations of unlawful employment practices.
Everyone arrested, most of them South Korean nationals, were “illegally present in the United States or in violation of their presence in the United States, working unlawfully,” Steven Schrank, special agent in charge of Homeland Security Investigations in Georgia, said at a news conference Friday morning.
It was the largest single-site enforcement operation in the history of Homeland Security Investigations, Schrank said, adding it \u201cunderscores our commitment to jobs for Georgians and Americans.”
A sea of agents from HSI, Immigration and Customs Enforcement and other federal agencies showed up Thursday to a construction site in the town of Ellabell, where the South Korean companies Hyundai and LG Energy Solution are jointly building a battery plant next to their manufacturing facility for electric vehicles.
Videos on social media showed agents lining up hundreds of workers at the construction site. Schrank said they questioned everyone about their immigration status, reviewing their documents and conducting background checks.
“This was not a immigration operation where agents went into the premises, rounded up folks and put them on buses. This has been a multimonth criminal investigation,” Schranck said.
No criminal charges in connection to the investigation had been filed as of Friday.
On Friday afternoon, a judge in the Southern District Court of Georgia unsealed the 15-page search warrant allowing federal agents to go into \u201cthe lithium battery cell manufacturing plant\u201d on the Hyundai Motor Group Metaplant America campus \u201cthat is currently under construction.\u201d
The warrant authorized federal agents to seize employment records and immigration documents as well as ownership and management records related to the construction site.
According to the warrant, authorities were also looking for four individuals, but the reasons why the federal government was specifically interested in them remains under seal.
U.S. Attorney Margaret E. Heap said in a statement <\/a>that more than 400 agents participated in the massive enforcement action, part of the broader nationwide initiative \u201cOperation Take Back America,\u201d described as an effort \u201cto repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations.\u201d
The South Korean government responded to the detentions of many of their nationals in a statement Friday.
\u201cIn the course of U.S. law enforcement, the economic activities of our investment firms and the rights and interests of our nationals must not be unjustly infringed upon,” said Lee Jae-woong, a spokesperson for South Korea’s foreign ministry. “We conveyed our concern and regret to the U.S. Embassy today and urged them to take special care to ensure that the legitimate rights and interests of our nationals are not violated.\u201d
Jae-woong added that an on-site task force will be established in Georgia with the help of the South Korean consulate in Atlanta.
According to Schrank, the workers arrested at the construction site were employed by a network of various contractors and subcontractors, which investigators are looking into.
They all remain in ICE custody after most were brought to the Folkston immigration processing center in Georgia following their arrests, Shrank said.
A Hyundai spokesperson told NBC News in a statement Friday that the company is \u201cclosely monitoring the situation and working to understand the specific circumstances.\u201d
\u201cAs of today, it is our understanding that none of those detained is directly employed by Hyundai Motor Company. We prioritize the safety and well-being of everyone working at the site and comply with all laws and regulations wherever we operate,\u201d the statement reads.
In an updated statement Friday afternoon, Hyundai said they were “reviewing our processes to ensure that all parties working on our projects maintain the same high standards of legal compliance that we demand of ourselves. This includes thorough vetting of employment practices by contractors and subcontractors.”
The company also stated they will conduct an investigation to ensure all suppliers and subcontractors at the Georgia megasite are complying with laws and regulations.
An LG Energy Solution spokesperson also said in a statement that they \u201care closely monitoring the situation and gathering all relevant details.\u201d
\u201cOur top priority is always ensuring the safety and well-being of our employees and partners. We will fully cooperate with the relevant authorities,\u201d the statement reads.
White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson told NBC News that President Donald Trump remains committed \u201cto make the United States the best place in the world to do business, while also enforcing federal immigration laws.\u201d
\u201cThe United States is proud to be a home for major investments and looks forward to continuing to build on these historic investments and partnerships that President Trump has secured,\u201d Jackson said in a statement. \u201cAny foreign workers brought in for specific projects must enter the United States legally and with proper work authorizations.\u201d
Charles Kuck, an Atlanta-based immigration attorney representing two of the detained South Korean nationals, told NBC News his clients were in the U.S. on the Visa Waiver Program<\/a> which permits tourism or business stays of up to 90 days.
“I\u2019m convinced neither of these guys are violating their status in any way,\u201d Kuck said, adding that both of his clients are process engineers who came over for meetings related to the construction of the new plant.
\u201cOne had gotten here Tuesday and was going home next week,\u201d Kuck said. \u201cHe was on site that morning, literally sitting in a conference room in his shirt and tie with a vest on from the company, waiting for a meeting, doing exactly what he\u2019s allowed to do under a visa waiver.\u201d
South Korea, the world\u2019s 10th-largest economy, is a major automotive and electronics manufacturer whose companies have multiple plants in the United States. In July, Seoul pledged $350 billion in U.S. investment<\/a> in an effort to lower Trump<\/a>\u2019s threatened tariffs on its products, which he ended up setting at 15%.
In March, Hyundai said it would invest $21 billion in U.S. onshoring<\/a> from 2025 to 2028, a number it said last month had increased to $26 billion<\/a>.
It said the initiatives involved in the investment \u2014 including a new $5.8 billion steel plant in Louisiana, expanded U.S. auto production capacity and a state-of-the-art robotics facility \u2014 were expected to create about 25,000 direct jobs in the U.S. over the next four years.
Hyundai’s electric vehicle manufacturing facility in Georgia, where the raided construction site stands, is one of the largest and most high-profile manufacturing sites in the state.
Republican Gov. Brian Kemp and other officials have said that the $7.6 billion plant, which employs about 1,400 people, is the largest economic development project in the state\u2019s history.
Hyundai, South Korea\u2019s biggest automaker, began manufacturing electric vehicles there about a year ago. The company recently partnered with LG Energy Solution to build the adjacent battery plant, expected <\/a>to open next year, where the immigration raid took place.
Nicole Acevedo is a national reporter for NBC News and NBC Latino.
Laura Strickler is the senior investigative producer on the national security team where she produces television stories and writes for NBCNews.com.
Gary Grumbach is an NBC News legal affairs reporter, based in Washington, D.C.
© 2025 NBCUniversal Media, LLC<\/p>\n

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