- The South Korean government will charter a plane to pull the workers from the US.
- According to ICE, many of the people detained did not have the correct work visas.
- Also detained in the agency’s raid were approximately 47 staff employed by LG.
Late last week, US immigration authorities raided Hyundai’s factory in Georgia, detaining 475 individuals it described as “illegal aliens.” As it turns out, roughly 300 of them were South Korean nationals, and the governments of the two countries have since brokered a deal for them to be returned to their homeland.
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According to the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement, many of the detained employees were working illegally, including some using short-term and recreational visas, which however do not authorize work. Steven Schrank from Homeland Security Investigations added that some workers had illegally crossed the US border, while some who had entered the country legally now have expired visas.
Read: ICE Storms Hyundai’s Georgia Plant Detaining Hundreds In Massive Immigration Raid
The chief of staff for South Korean President Lee Jae Myung, Kang Hoon-sik, says the government is organizing a charter plane to bring the workers back home. He added that the rights of the South Korean nationals and the economic activities of Hyundai and other South Korean firms must not be unfairly infringed upon during the ongoing law enforcement procedures.
In response to the ICE raid, South Korea has announced plans to enhance its visa system for citizens traveling to the US for business, particularly for significant investment projects, such as Hyundai’s joint venture with LG Energy Solution in Georgia.
“We welcome all companies who want to invest in the U.S., and if they need to bring workers in for building or other projects, that’s fine – but they need to do it the legal way,” Schrank said. “This operation sends a clear message that those who exploit the system and undermine our workforce will be held accountable.”
LG Energy Solution says that approximately 47 of its 250 contracted staff at the site were detained. It has asked its South Korean employees to return from business trips in the US in the wake of the ICE raid.
The operation at the Hyundai plant was the single largest enforcement move in the history of the US Department of Homeland Security. NPR reports that the majority of the individuals detained were taken to an immigration detention center in Folkston, Georgia. As of Friday, none of them had been charged with any crimes.
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Image: ATF @ X
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