BRYAN COUNTY, Ga. – Federal authorities say 475 people were detained this week in what Homeland Security Investigations called the largest single-site enforcement operation in its history.
What we know:
The raid took place Thursday at the HLGA battery plant site in southeast Georgia, a joint venture between Hyundai Motor Group and LG Energy Solution, as part of a months-long probe into alleged unlawful employment practices and other federal crimes.
U.S. Attorney Meg Heap and Homeland Security Investigations Special Agent in Charge Steve Schrank said the operation followed a judicial search warrant and focused on employers suspected of exploiting undocumented workers. Officials stressed the effort was not a “round-up” but the result of extensive evidence-gathering, interviews and court approval.
“This, in fact, was the largest single site enforcement operation in the history of Homeland Security Investigations,” said Schrank. This was not an immigration operation where agents went into the premises, rounded up folks and put them on busses. This has been a multi-month criminal investigation.”
Of those encountered, 475 people were found to be in the country illegally or otherwise in violation of their status and were turned over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. A majority were Korean nationals, according to Schrank, though investigators are still reviewing nationality breakdowns.
The arrests involved a network of contractors and subcontractors at the site, not just the parent company, Schrank said. The individuals are being held in ICE custody, with many transferred to the Folkston ICE Processing Center.
Schrank said no serious injuries were reported during the operation. One worker was treated for overheating at the scene, and one agent sustained a minor cut.
ATF Atlanta posted photos on their X account, saying they joined HSI, FBI, ICE and Georgia State Patrol for the raid.
The investigation remains ongoing, and no criminal charges have yet been filed. Authorities confirmed they are also examining potential labor trafficking, subcontracting practices and employer accountability.
Hyundai is reportedly cooperating with law enforcement and is “committed to abiding by all labor and immigration regulations,” according to spokesperson Michael Stewart.
What they’re saying:
According to the BBC, multiple Korean nationals were detained. The South Korean foreign ministry is calling it an “unjust infringement” on their rights.
Diplomats are reportedly being dispatched from the South Korean embassy in Washington and the consulate in Atlanta to the site, according to The Associated Press.
The battery plant, which is currently under construction, is located next to Hyundai’s Metaplant America facility. The new plant has promised to create around 8,500 jobs by 2030.
President Donald Trump commented on the raid from the White House.
“We want to get along with other countries, and we want to have a great, stable workforce,” said President Trump. “And we had, as I understand it, a lot of illegal aliens, some not the best of people, but we had a lot of illegal aliens working there. So, you know, look, they’re doing their job. That’s what they have to do.”
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The other side:
In response to ICE raids at the Hyundai Metaplant in and around Savannah, Georgia, AFL-CIO President Yvonne Brooks has issued the following statement:
Georgia’s labor movement is outraged by ICE’s escalating presence at workplaces across the state. This raid is the latest in an ongoing campaign of harassment that has targeted immigrant Georgians as they try to earn an honest living. Arresting and detaining workers, who are exploited every day and risk their lives every day on the job, creates an atmosphere of fear that terrorizes workers and their families and increases the workload burden on their coworkers. And when multiple workers have died during the construction of this very plant, the only federal action that could possibly be justified is to strengthen enforcement of occupational safety and health protections and other labor rights — a far cry from ICE raids.
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