SEOUL – In a bold move that exposes the overreach of federal immigration enforcers, the South Korean government has launched an investigation into potential human rights violations stemming from a massive ICE raid on a Hyundai HYMLF -2.85% ▼–LG LPL -3.20% ▼ battery plant in Georgia earlier this month. The probe, announced Monday, targets the treatment of over 300 skilled Korean workers—essential to America’s push for domestic EV manufacturing—who were swept up in what critics are calling a heavy-handed operation that could chill billions in foreign investment under President Trump’s America First agenda.
The September 4 raid, dubbed “Operation Low Voltage” by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), saw nearly 500 federal, state, and local agents storm the 3,000-acre Hyundai Motor Group Metaplant site in Ellabell, near Savannah. The facility, a crown jewel of Georgia’s economic boom, includes Hyundai’s $7.6 billion EV assembly plant—already employing 1,200 Americans—and an adjacent $4.3 billion battery factory joint venture with LG Energy Solution, set to create thousands more jobs. But instead of targeting clear-cut illegal activity, ICE detained 475 people, the majority South Korean nationals (over 300), along with 10 Chinese, three Japanese, and one Indonesian, on suspicions of visa overstays and unlawful employment.
Under a swift diplomatic agreement between the Trump administration and Seoul, DHS released 330 detainees—316 South Koreans among them—who boarded a chartered Korean Air Boeing 747 from Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport on Thursday, arriving home Friday amid emotional reunions at Incheon International Airport. The remaining 145 face ongoing deportation proceedings, with some held at the Folkston ICE facility in southeast Georgia. South Korean President Lee Jae Myung, a staunch ally in Trump’s trade wars against China, slammed the raid as an “unjust infringement” on his citizens’ rights and businesses, warning it could make Korean firms “very hesitant” about pouring billions into U.S. soil.
Kang Yu-jung, spokesperson for President Lee, confirmed the review during a press briefing, stating: “I understand that the government is conducting a more thorough review with the companies to determine whether any human rights violations occurred.” One anonymous Korean worker recounted to Yonhap News Agency the chaos: ICE agents allegedly skipped Miranda rights, herded detainees into five overcrowded 72-person rooms without adequate food or water, and shackled them in chains around hands, ankles, and waists—footage of which went viral, drawing outrage from conservatives who see it as bureaucratic bullying rather than border security.
Immigration attorney Charles Kuck, representing four detainees, told the Associated Press that many were engineers and equipment installers on valid B-1 visas, meant for short-term business activities like training or contract negotiations. A leaked ICE document obtained by The Guardian backs this up, revealing at least one worker entered on a valid B-1/B-2 visa and hadn’t violated terms, yet was pressured into “voluntary departure.” USCIS guidelines confirm B-1 visas allow such professional work, underscoring what Kuck called an “outrageous” and “unlawful” overzealous sweep by HSI, which involved the FBI, DEA, IRS, U.S. Marshals, and Georgia State Patrol.
The raid stemmed from a months-long DHS probe into illegal hiring practices among subcontractors—not Hyundai or LG directly. Hyundai Motor North America insisted none of the detained were its employees, emphasizing full compliance with U.S. laws, while LG suspended U.S. business trips and dispatched its HR chief to demand releases. The operation halted battery plant construction, delaying startup by at least two to three months, per Hyundai CEO José Muñoz. With Hyundai pledging $26 billion in U.S. facilities by 2028 and South Korea committing $350 billion overall to dodge Trump’s 15% tariffs on imports, this fiasco risks unraveling the very investments Trump champions to bring manufacturing home.
Enter President Trump, who on Sunday took to Truth Social to walk back the optics without undermining his immigration crackdown. “I don’t want to frighten off or disincentivize Investment into America by outside Countries or Companies,” he posted. “When Foreign Companies who are building extremely complex products, machines, and various other ‘things,’ come into the United States with massive Investments, I want them to bring their people of expertise for a period of time to teach and train our people how to make these very unique and complex products, as they phase out of our Country, and back into their land.” Trump added: “We welcome them, we welcome their employees… If we didn’t do this, all of that massive Investment will never come in the first place!”
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt echoed the sentiment Tuesday, stressing Trump’s commitment to making America “the best place in the world to do business” while enforcing immigration laws. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick blamed Hyundai for not securing proper visas and offered to help, but the damage is done—South Korean media warns of a “chilling effect,” and Foreign Minister Cho Hyun, fresh from meetings with Secretary of State Marco Rubio, reiterated concerns in Washington. Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp, a Trump ally who touted the Hyundai project as the state’s biggest economic win, has stayed mum, but local Korean-American communities are reeling.
This isn’t the deep-state sabotage of open borders under Biden; it’s Trump’s zero-tolerance policy in action, rooting out exploitation by subcontractors who skirt rules to cut costs. But as Labor Notes highlighted, the raid spotlights Hyundai’s spotty labor record—three worker deaths during construction, safety lapses at other sites like Ultium Cells. Conservatives argue ICE did its job, ensuring a “level playing field” for American workers, but the human rights probe from Seoul could strain alliances at a time when Trump needs Korean investment to counter China’s EV dominance. As one analyst put it, Trump’s agendas are colliding: Secure borders yes, but not at the expense of the factories rebuilding Rust Belt jobs.
The investigation’s outcome could reshape visa policies for foreign experts, but for now, it’s a wake-up call: Enforce the law smartly, or watch allies like South Korea take their billions elsewhere. Trump’s vision of American greatness demands both—immigration control and investment influx—or the raid’s fallout could cost us big.