A large immigration raid at a Hyundai plant in Georgia will delay its start by at least two months. The company confirmed the setback after hundreds of foreign workers were detained.
raid triggers diplomatic tension
The raid has intensified tensions between the United States and South Korea. Many of the detained workers came from South Korea. President Yoon warned the incident could discourage foreign investment in the United States.
South Korean officials said many workers were sent temporarily to help launch the new plant. Hyundai chief executive José Muñoz told American media the raid will cause a delay of at least two to three months because workers now want to return home.
biggest raid in us history
The Georgia raid was the largest in American history. Officials detained 475 people, including around 300 South Koreans. US immigration authorities said the workers were not authorized to work in the country. South Korean officials countered that Korean firms often send employees abroad to start up new facilities.
Officials in Seoul confirmed that the detained workers are scheduled to fly home on Friday. Their departure had been planned for Wednesday but was delayed. Opposition leader Lee Jae Myung said President Donald Trump suggested the workers remain to continue training Americans. Only one worker agreed to stay.
hyundai seeks replacements
José Muñoz said Hyundai is now considering how to fill the positions of staff planning to return to South Korea. The company stressed that none of those arrested had been directly employed by Hyundai.
LG Energy Solution, which co-runs the Georgia battery plant with Hyundai, said many of its employees detained in the raid held different visas or were under the visa waiver programme.
investment promises at risk
At a press conference on Thursday, President Yoon warned the crackdown could make building factories in the United States more difficult. He said stricter rules would force companies to reconsider whether such investments remain worthwhile.
The case has raised doubts about the stability of a trade deal agreed earlier this year. Donald Trump had pledged to ease tariff threats in exchange for billions of dollars in new investments from South Korea.
Hyundai alone promised $26 billion, including a new steel plant in Louisiana. Trump celebrated that project as part of his effort to revive US manufacturing with foreign investment.
largest project in georgia’s history
The raided site forms part of a vast industrial complex in Georgia. The project is expected to create 8,500 jobs and had been praised as the largest economic development project in the state’s history.
