Inside America’s biggest immigration raid in years: Hyundai plant becomes ground zero

Trump has long argued that undocumented migrants take jobs from Americans, even as his administration aggressively courts automakers and battery companies to build plants in the US.

A sprawling Hyundai electric vehicle battery plant under construction in Ellabell, Georgia, turned into the epicenter of one of the largest workplace immigration raids in recent US history. On Thursday, federal agents stormed the site, detaining 475 people, most of them South Korean nationals.

The factory, part of Hyundai’s $5.5 billion joint venture with LG Energy Solution, had been hailed by Georgia’s governor as the state’s biggest-ever economic development project. By evening, it became a symbol of two clashing US priorities: boosting domestic manufacturing and cracking down on illegal immigration.

How the raid unfolded

According to CNN, nearly 500 officers from multiple agencies, ICE, Homeland Security Investigations, FBI, DEA, Georgia State Patrol and others, executed a court-approved search warrant.

Workers were lined up along walls, questioned one by one, and separated based on their legal status. Those cleared were handed slips reading 'clear to depart.' Others scrambled to hide, some in air ducts, others in a sewage pond, before being pulled out by agents.

“It felt like a war zone,” one construction worker told CNN. Another man said he hid in stifling heat inside an air duct to evade arrest.

By nightfall, buses had transported hundreds of detainees to an ICE facility in Folkston, Georgia.

Who was arrested

More than 300 of the 475 detainees are South Korean citizens, according to Seoul’s foreign ministry.
Mexico’s consulate in Atlanta confirmed 23 Mexican nationals were among those held.
ICE said some had overstayed visas, others entered under visa waiver programs not meant for work, and a few crossed illegally.
One detainee, a Mexican green card holder, was flagged due to prior convictions involving drugs and firearms.

Immigration lawyer Charles Kuck told CNN two of his South Korean clients were wrongly detained. Both were engineers visiting under a visa waiver program, allowed for short business trips. “They were doing exactly what they were permitted to do, attend meetings,” Kuck said.

Hyundai and LG distance themselves

Hyundai said none of those arrested were direct employees, suggesting many were contractors or subcontractors. The company added it would review compliance processes and had 'zero tolerance' for illegal practices.

LG Energy Solution told the BBC its priority was the “safety and wellbeing of employees and partners” and pledged cooperation with authorities.

The raid temporarily halted construction of the $5.5 billion facility, which was expected to create 8,500 jobs once fully operational.

South Korea pushes back

The arrests have rattled Seoul. Foreign Minister Cho Hyun convened an emergency meeting, saying he felt a “great sense of responsibility” for detained citizens.

“If necessary, I am prepared to personally travel to Washington to resolve this matter,” Cho said. An on-site diplomatic response team was dispatched to Georgia.

South Korea’s foreign ministry warned that “the economic activities of Korean investment companies and the rights of Korean citizens must not be unfairly infringed upon during US law enforcement operations.”

President Lee Jae Myung instructed officials to take “all-out necessary measures” to protect nationals.

Trump’s balancing act

Trump told reporters at the Oval Office: “They were illegal aliens and ICE was just doing its job.” Asked about Seoul’s protest, he said the US wanted good relations with allies but added, “We had a lot of illegal aliens working there, some not the best of people.”

Trump has long argued that undocumented migrants take jobs from Americans, even as his administration aggressively courts automakers and battery companies to build plants in the US.

What happens next

ICE said the raid was part of an “active, ongoing criminal investigation” into unlawful employment practices. Officials are reviewing employment records, contracts, and recruitment documents to determine accountability.

For now, 475 workers sit in limbo at detention facilities. Families back in South Korea and Mexico are scrambling for updates. Advocacy groups in Georgia say they are struggling to locate detainees and connect them with lawyers.

Meanwhile, Seoul is pressing Washington to show restraint, aware that what began as a raid on undocumented labor could quickly spill into a diplomatic headache between two allies tied by trade, security, and now, an electric vehicle supply chain.