Immigration Enforcement Operation Targets Hyundai Facility in Georgia, Impacts Visitors on Work Permits

Officials state that the workers arrested in one of the largest US workplace immigration raids were in violation of their visitor visas.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) announced that 475 individuals, primarily South Korean citizens, were found to be working unlawfully at a Hyundai plant in the US state of Georgia on Thursday.

According to ICE, individuals on short-term or recreational visas are not permitted to work in the US, and the raid was conducted to safeguard American jobs.

South Korea, whose companies are set to invest billions of dollars in key US industries in the coming years to avoid tariffs, has dispatched diplomats to Georgia and called for the protection of its citizens’ rights.

The detained workers are currently being held at an ICE facility in Folkston, Georgia, until the agency decides on their next destination.

Out of those detained, 300 are reported to be Korean nationals. Hyundai stated that none of them were directly employed by the company.

In a statement on Friday, the ICE office in the city of Savannah stated that the raid was “part of an active, ongoing criminal investigation”.

The statement added, “The individuals arrested during the operation were found to be working without legal authorization, violating the terms of their visas and/or statuses.”

However, Charles Kuck, an immigration lawyer in Atlanta, informed the New York Times that two of his clients were wrongly caught up in the raid.

He told the newspaper that the two were in the US under a visa waiver program, which allows tourism or business for up to 90 days.

“My clients were doing exactly what they were allowed to do under the visa waiver – attend business meetings,” he said on Friday.

He added that one of them only arrived on Tuesday and was scheduled to leave next week.

ICE stated that one of those detained was a Mexican citizen and green card holder with a lengthy criminal record.

The individual was previously convicted of drug possession, attempting to sell a stolen firearm, and theft, according to ICE.

HSI Special Agent Steven Schrank stated, “We welcome all companies that wish to invest in the US. However, they must do so in a lawful manner.”

He added, “This operation sends a clear message that those who exploit the system and undermine our workforce will be held accountable.”

In response to the raid, South Korea’s foreign ministry issued a statement saying, “The economic activities of Korean investment companies and the rights and interests of Korean citizens must not be unfairly infringed upon during US law enforcement operations.”

The raid may create tension between President Trump’s priorities of encouraging manufacturing within the US and cracking down on undocumented immigration. It may also strain the country’s relationship with a key ally.

During a press briefing on Friday, President Trump stated, “Trump was just doing its job.”

In response to a question about the reaction from Seoul, he said, “We want to have a great, stable workforce and we have a lot of undocumented aliens, some not the best people, but we have a lot of undocumented aliens working there.”

Trump has actively sought investments from other countries while implementing tariffs, in an effort to encourage manufacturers to create goods in the US.

The president also campaigned on curbing undocumented immigration, claiming that migrants were taking jobs away from Americans.

The factory, responsible for manufacturing electric vehicles, had been hailed by Georgia’s Republican governor as the biggest economic development project in the state’s history, with 1,200 employees.