Detained South Korean Workers in US Immigration Raid Set to Return Home
Hundreds of South Korean workers detained in a major immigration raid at a Hyundai plant in Georgia are expected to return home on Wednesday aboard a chartered flight, according to Reuters.
South Korean television showed a Korean Air plane departing Incheon International Airport on Wednesday morning bound for Atlanta. The aircraft is scheduled to fly back to South Korea on Thursday with the detained workers.
The operation comes just hours before US Secretary of State Marco Rubio is set to meet South Korea’s foreign minister, Cho Hyun, at the White House. Ahead of his trip to Washington, Cho pledged to work with the US to prevent similar incidents in the future.
Last week, US officials detained 475 people — more than 300 of them South Korean nationals — accusing them of working illegally at the Hyundai-LG Energy battery facility, one of Georgia’s largest foreign investment projects. Workers told the BBC the raid caused panic, with many of those detained employed by contractors to install production lines.
The timing has unsettled Seoul, which has committed tens of billions of dollars in US investments partly to offset tariffs, and comes amid sensitive trade negotiations between the two allies.
The White House has defended the raid, insisting it would not deter foreign investment. On Sunday, President Donald Trump said foreign companies must prioritize hiring Americans, but added the US would make it “quickly and legally possible” to bring in overseas workers if immigration laws were respected.
About The Author
