U.S. Immigration authorities detained 475 workers at Hyundai and LG’s electric vehicle (EV) battery plant in Ellabell, Ga., on Sept. 2. Officials carried out the largest single-site immigration enforcement operation in decades at the plant, which is still undergoing construction. Most of the detainees were South Korean nationals, which has caused tension between U.S. and South Korean relations.
The Hyundai Motor Group Metaplant America (HMGMA) is an EV production site. Hyundai and LG Energy Solutions have been working on a project to produce EV battery cells since 2023. The joint venture led to the employment of over 1,200 people, and the project called for specialized workers, many of whom managers could not find in the U.S.
Hyundai has invested over $7.6 billion in the automobile assembly plant, and 17 surrounding suppliers in the area have announced new factories to support the HMGMA project.
“For the construction phase of the plants, you need to get specialized people. There are a lot of skills and equipment that you cannot find in the United States,” Hyundai CEO Joe Munoz said on the sidelines of an automotive conference in Detroit.
U.S. officials say that the employees were detained on Sept. 2 over suspicions about the “unlawful” visa and their immigration status. Because H1-B visas are notoriously difficult to get, especially with recent stricter immigration laws, many workers attained B-1 visas or came on the Visa Waiver Program (ESTA), which sit in a legal grey area when it comes to performing work.
The arrests shocked the South Korean government, even though some workers had feared that they would get caught in the recent stricter immigration laws under President Donald Trump’s administration.
An equipment technician in South Korea who has previously worked with six of those detained told Reuters, “I told them they could ruin their lives if they were caught. I begged them not to return to the United States.”
The event is expected to increase tensions between the U.S. and South Korea, although many officials have stated that they hope to work together to build a visa program to prevent disruptions for many corporate projects.
According to NBC, in a meeting in Seoul, First Vice Foreign Minister Park Yoon-joo asked Deputy Secretary of State Chsitopher Landau for the two countries to work together to recognize the importance of South Korean workers in the U.S.
“Deputy Secretary Landau expressed deep regret over the incident and proposed using it as a turning point to improve the system and strengthen the South Korea-U.S. relationship,” the ministry said, adding that Landau said President Trump had “high interest” in the case.
The raid will delay Hyundai’s project by two to three months. In the meantime, the plant will source batteries from other plants as it waits for the LG plant to start up.