ICE Arrests 475 Workers During Raid at Georgia Hyundai Plant

Credit: ATF Atlanta

ICE arrested 475 people in a raid on a Hyundai manufacturing site in Georgia, said Special Agent Steve Schrank of Homeland Securities Investigations Atlanta at a press conference Friday.

U.S. immigration authorities carried out the sweeping operation at the Hyundai-LG joint battery manufacturing site in Ellabell, Georgia. The detention of 475 individuals marks the “largest single-site enforcement operation in the history of Homeland Security investigations,” according to Schrank.

Authorities conducted the investigation under a search warrant, concluding a months-long investigation into alleged unlawful employment practices and “other serious federal crimes,” per a statement from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), though no criminal charges have been brought at this time.

Many of those detained are South Korean nationals, including employees from LG Energy Solution who were on business trips to the site. A statement from Hyundai confirms none of the individuals in custody were “directly employed” by Hyundai Motor Company, but rather worked for separate contractors.

In a press briefing by South Korea’s foreign ministry, a spokesperson requested “special attention [by the United States] to ensure the legitimate rights and interests of our citizens are not violated.”

News of this raid comes as President Donald Trump continues to ramp up immigration enforcement nationwide, with a three-judge panel in Atlanta allowing infamous detention center ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ to continue holding detainees Thursday, after a Miami federal judge ordered its closure within the next 60 days.