Sun, 07 Sep 2025

Sun, 07 Sep 2025 South Korean worker tells BBC of panic and confusion during Hyundai ICE raid

Some 400 US agents took part in the immigration raid on the Hyundai facility, detaining hundreds of workers, many South Korean nationals.
475 people, including 300 South Korean nationals, were arrested at a car factory in Georgia by federal agents from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on Thursday morning. The worker who witnessed the raid said he received multiple phone calls from company bosses instructing them to shut down operations. He also stated that family members of workers tried to contact them but couldn't reach them because their phones were left in the office and it was locked. According to US officials, some workers attempted to flee by jumping into a nearby sewage pond. The agents separated the detainees based on nationality and visa status before processing and loading them onto multiple coaches. The raid targeted an electric vehicle battery plant that is being built at the factory complex, which is jointly owned by Hyundai and LG Energy. Immigration officials had been investigating alleged illegal employment practices at the site. Hyundai and LG Energy released a joint statement saying they were cooperating with the authorities and pausing construction to assist their work. ICE agent Steven Schrank said all 475 detainees were "illegally present in the United States" and that they entered through various means, including crossing the border, visa waiver, or overstaying visas. The raid is being referred to as "Operation Low Voltage" and is the largest single-site immigration enforcement operation in the history of Homeland Security investigations.
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