Topline
South Korean nationals, who were detained by U.S. immigration authorities last week following a raid on a Hyundai electric vehicle battery plant in Georgia, will return to their home country voluntarily instead of being deported, authorities in Seoul said Monday, after President Donald Trump said foreign companies investing in the U.S. must respect the country’s immigration laws.
This image from video provided by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement shows manufacturing plant employees waiting to have their legs shackled at the Hyundai Motor Group’s electric vehicle plant.
Associated PressKey Facts
According to South Korea’s Yonhap news agency, authorities in Seoul plan to send a chartered flight on Wednesday to help its detained citizens leave the U.S. after talks with Washington.
Around 300 South Korean nationals were taken into custody by immigration authorities last week, and they are being held at a detention center in Folkston, Georgia.
In a parliamentary session on Monday, South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun said talks are being held with Washington at “all levels” to ensure the detained workers won’t face any future entry restrictions into the U.S. due to this incident.
Cho is traveling to Washington to help the detained workers leave the U.S., and plans to meet Secretary of State Marco Rubio to discuss expanding his country’s quota in the treaty investor visa program.
Cho also said he will attempt to negotiate with the U.S. to create a special work visa quota for South Korean investors—similar to the E3 visa meant only for skilled Australian workers.
What Has Trump Said About The Hyundai Factory Raid?
In a post on his Truth Social platform on Sunday evening, Trump wrote: “I am hereby calling on all Foreign Companies investing in the United States to please respect our Nation’s Immigration Laws.” He then added: “Your Investments are welcome, and we encourage you to LEGALLY bring your very smart people, with great technical talent, to build World Class products, and we will make it quickly and legally possible for you to do so. What we ask in return is that you hire and train American Workers.” It is unclear if the president’s statement means his administration is working on a special visa for companies investing in the U.S. Trump first addressed the raid earlier on Sunday, after landing at Joint Base Andrews following his trip to New York to watch the U.S. Open Men’s final. He acknowledged that the entry of skilled technical foreign workers was necessary to train Americans, saying: “If you don’t have people in this country right now that know about batteries, maybe we should help them along and let some people come in and train our people to do, you know, complex things, whether it’s battery manufacturing or computer manufacturing or building ship.” He said his administration will “look at that whole situation,” without further details and insisted his relationship with South Korea was still “great.” Despite this, Trump defended the raid on the Hyundai Plant, saying the detained workers were in the U.S. “illegally.”
What Do We Know About The Raid?
On Thursday, federal authorities, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), FBI and others, carried out an immigration raid at an electric vehicle battery site in Bryan County, Georgia. The raid, which targeted a facility operated jointly by Hyundai Motor Group and LG Energy Solution, led to the detention of more than 475 people, including 300 South Korean nationals. South Korean authorities raised concerns about the detentions and said: “The economic activities of our investing companies and the rights and interests of our citizens must not be unjustly infringed during the process of U.S. law enforcement.” HSI said the detained workers were part of a “network of subcontractors” and many worked for different companies on the site.
What Do We Know About Hyundai’s Investment Plans In The U.s.?
Hyundai Motor Group announced last month it would invest $26 billion in the U.S. between 2025 and 2028. The company claimed this move will help create 25,000 new direct jobs in the country. The investment will include a new steel mill in Louisiana, a “Robotics Innovation Hub… with an annual capacity of 30,000 units” and expanded auto production for Hyundai and Kia cars in the country.
What To Watch For
Korean media reports said visa issues could jeopardise planned investments by the country’s companies in the U.S. and many are already trying to revise business travel plans. The country’s trade and industry ministry held an emergency meeting with top conglomerates like Hyundai Motor Group, LG, SK Hynix and Samsung to review the matter. An unnamed industry official told Korea Herald: “Trump himself has been pushing to get these plants built quickly, yet visas are not being issued.” The report added that the companies are pushing Seoul to ensure the establishment of a special investor visa category for Korean workers. As a result of the raid, both LG Energy Solution and Hyundai Motor have ordered the suspension of non-essential travel to the U.S., Yonhap reported.
Further Reading
Detained S. Koreans in Georgia expected to return home on voluntary basis: Seoul (Yonhap)