ICE raids Hyundai battery plant construction site, detains hundreds
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A record-breaking ICE raid at Hyundai's $4.3 billion battery plant in Georgia detained nearly 500 mostly South Korean workers, halting construction and casting a shadow over ongoing US-South Korea trade negotiations.
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An American flag flies above a piece of heavy machinery at the site of Hyundai Motor Group's electric vehicle plant in Ellabell, Georgia, Friday, September 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Russ Bynum)
A large-scale raid by US immigration authorities brought work to a standstill at a Hyundai–LG Energy Solution electric vehicle battery plant under construction in Georgia, with nearly 500 workers detained. Officials described it as the most extensive single-site enforcement operation ever carried out by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), supported by the FBI, the DEA, and local police, entered the site Thursday morning under a federal warrant. Video circulated online showed Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) personnel telling laborers in safety gear: "We have a search warrant for the whole site. We need construction to cease right now."
Steven Schrank, HSI's special agent in charge for Georgia, confirmed that "arrests are being made" and said those taken into custody were either undocumented or had overstayed their visas. The DHS reported that roughly 475 individuals were transported to an ICE detention center in Folkston, Georgia. The Justice Department noted that the raid, dubbed Operation Low Voltage, involved more than 400 officers, and some workers attempted to flee, including into a sewage pond.
Most of those detained were South Korean nationals, according to DHS officials. South Korea's foreign ministry said it was closely monitoring the situation, and spokesperson Lee Jae-woong stressed that "the economic activities of our companies investing in the United States and the interests of our citizens must not be unduly violated during the course of US law enforcement."
Hyundai Plant Raided
The factory, a $4.3 billion joint venture announced in 2023 by Hyundai Motor Group and LG Energy Solution, was scheduled to begin operations by late 2025 and supply batteries for Hyundai, Kia, and Genesis EV models. It is part of Hyundai's broader $12.6 billion commitment to Georgia, which state governor Brian Kemp had promoted as the most significant industrial investment in the state's history.
Hyundai Motor stated that none of the detained individuals were directly employed by the automaker. "We comply with all laws and regulations wherever we operate," the company said, adding that its electric vehicle production plans remain unaffected even as construction on the battery site has been suspended.
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The enforcement action comes amid sensitive US-South Korea trade negotiations. Seoul recently pledged $150 billion in American investments, including $26 billion from Hyundai, as part of a wider $350 billion package agreed with Washington to reduce tariffs and boost cooperation in shipbuilding, energy, and high-tech industries.
Yet negotiators have struggled to finalize the structure of the investment fund, with disputes over whether contributions should be made as direct investments or loans.
Analysts caution that raids like the one in Georgia risk straining economic ties just as both governments are trying to project stability in their partnership.
