South Korean workers arrested in immigration raid at Hyundai plant to be sent home after deal with Seoul

Hundreds of South Korean workers detained in an Immigration and Customs Enforcement raid at a Hyundai battery plant in Georgia will be flown back to their country following an agreement between the country’s government and the Trump administration.

South Korean Presidential Chief of Staff Kang Hoon-sik announced the deal in a statement, saying both governments reached an understanding on the release of the workers detained in Bryan County.

“Negotiations for the release of the detained workers have been concluded, after swift responses by the relevant ministries, business agencies, and companies,” he said. “However, some administrative procedures remain, and once they’re completed, a chartered plane will depart to bring back our citizens.”

The raid resulted in 475 arrests, with at least 300 believed to be South Korean nationals. The battery plant, still under construction, is a joint project between Hyundai and LG Energy Solution. LG said many of its employees who were detained had valid visas or were in the United States under the visa waiver program.

Immigration officials referred to the raid as “the largest single site enforcement operation in the history of Homeland Security Investigations.” Video footage showed federal agents lining up workers outside the facility, with some being shackled. Many were transported to a detention center in Folkston, Georgia, according to the New York Post.

On Sunday, border czar Tom Homan told CNN that the Trump administration plans to carry out “a lot more” workplace operations.

“Look, no one hires an illegal alien out of the goodness of their heart. They hire them because they work them harder, pay them less and undercut the competition that hires US citizen employees,” Homan said.