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Federal agents detained nearly 500 workers during an immigration raid at a Hyundai battery plant construction site near Savannah, Georgia — an operation that has rattled U.S.–South Korea relations and drawn scrutiny regarding how America staffs its biggest industrial projects.
About 475 workers at the battery plant’s construction site were detained on Sept. 4 under suspicion of being in the U.S. illegally, with at least 300 reportedly hailing from the democratic half of the Korean peninsula – which is also a top U.S. ally and key Asian partner.
The incident at the plant in Bryan County – several miles west of the Savannah suburb of Pooler — renewed scrutiny on construction sites of large projects as the Trump administration continues to investigate illegal worksite practices.
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Steven Schrank, a top official at Homeland Security Investigations’ Atlanta bureau, said the raid sent “a clear and unequivocal message that those who exploit our workforce, undermine our economy and violate federal laws will be held accountable.”
The plant, still under construction and aiming to produce “Hyundai-LG” batteries, was the largest single-site operation in DHS history, according to several reports.
Schrank alleged some workers either overstayed their visas or were improperly employed in violation of them.
James Kim, president of the American Chamber of Commerce in Korea, criticized challenges and confusion in U.S. visa process in comments to the Washington Post.
“When you are sending people for factories involving semiconductors or electric batteries, you need people on the floor who know what they’re doing,” Kim said, as the paper reported South Korea had dealt with roadblocks pertaining to a limit on popular H1-B and other visa types.
Kim told the paper the situation left many workers in a “gray zone” visa-wise.
Following the raid, South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun left for the U.S. on Monday to repatriate the detained workers, as Seoul said Washington had agreed to release them in that way.
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Cho was expected to meet with Secretary of State Marco Rubio upon his arrival, according to the Financial Times.
Kang Hoon-sik, a spokesman for President Lee Jae Myung, told the outlet that South Korean companies’ business activities and workers’ rights “should not be unfairly infringed in the U.S. law enforcement process.”
Meanwhile, President Donald Trump sought to reassure reporters that U.S.-South Korean relations remain strong.
Trump signaled he will continue to welcome foreign investment, contingent on such nations following U.S. immigration laws.
“Your Investments are welcome, and we encourage you to LEGALLY bring your very smart people, with great technical talent, to build World Class products, and we will make it quickly and legally possible for you to do so,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
“What we ask in return is that you hire and train American Workers. Together, we will all work hard to make our Nation not only productive, but closer in unity than ever before,” he said.
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Trade negotiations with South Korea led to a July deal, some details of which are still in flux, according to Reuters.
Hyundai itself had indicated it would invest $26 billion in the U.S. under the agreement.
Meanwhile, then-President Joe Biden caught flak amid the controversy as comments resurfaced from his 2022 trip to South Korea, where he described the Hyundai site as a boon for Americans’ employment.
“It’s great to be here to announce the more than $10 billion in new investment in American manufacturing. This new commitment of $5 billion for advanced automotive technology and $5.5 billion investment to open a new factory near Savannah, Georgia, is going to create more than 8,000 new American jobs,” he said at the time.
Hyundai Motor Company told Fox News Digital that none of the detained foreign nationals are directly employed by the automaker.
“We prioritize the safety and well-being of everyone working at the site and comply with all laws and regulations wherever we operate,” the company said in a statement.
Trump separately told reporters one idea that should be considered is allowing foreign experts to temporarily reside in the U.S. to train Americans in advanced industries.
“If you don’t have people in this country right now that know about batteries, maybe we should help them along,” he said.
Critics of Trump’s tariffs have pointed to products where the U.S. has little or no domestic production capacity.
U.S. mainstays like coffee and chocolate are imported exponentially more than grown stateside, with Hawaii being the only major state source in either case.
Fox News Digital’s Cameron Arcand, Greg Wehner, and Michael Dorgan and the Associated Press contributed to this report.
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