300+ Detained In Hyundai Raid Leave GA For South Korea: Report

ATLANTA, GA — More than 300 workers detained during the largest immigration raid at a single site in the U.S. have left a Georgia detention center and are headed home to South Korea, the Associated Press reported Thursday.

The workers left for South Korea around noon after being bused to the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. They are reportedly expected to land in their home country by Friday afternoon.

South Korea’s Foreign Ministry said the detainees released from a Folkston immigration detention center by U.S. authorities included 316 Koreans, 10 Chinese nationals, three Japanese nationals and one Indonesian.

They were part of 475 workers who were detained by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency on Sept. 4 at Hyundai Motor Group Metaplant America in Ellabell.

• Related: ICE Detains 475 In Immigration Raid At GA Hyundai Plant: Reports

The departure of the detainees was reportedly delayed by a day after President Donald Trump on Wednesday gave directives that the detainees could choose whether or not they wanted to leave the U.S.

A South Korean Foreign Ministry official, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss the diplomatic process, said Trump had halted the process to hear from South Korea on whether the Koreans should be allowed to stay to continue their work and help train U.S. workers or should be sent back to South Korea.

One South Korean national opted to stay with relatives in the U.S., the Associated Press reported.

The raid was the largest in the history of Homeland Security Investigations, media reports say. The plant is used to make electric vehicles in Ellabell, which is located about 27 miles from Savannah.

In a Sept. 5 news release, federal authorities say the detainees were arrested after violating the terms of their visas or statuses.

The detainees were suspected of unlawfully living and working in the U.S., CBS News reported citing federal officials. A number of the detainees were suspected of violating their visa waivers, unlawfully entering the U.S. or overstaying their visas, Steven Schrank, special agent in charge of Homeland Security Investigations, said at the news conference.

“We welcome all companies who want to invest in the U.S., and if they need to bring workers in for building or other projects, that’s fine — but they need to do it the legal way,” Schrank said in the release. “This operation sends a clear message that those who exploit the system and undermine our workforce will be held accountable.”

South Korea's President Lee Jae Myung called Thursday for improvements to the United States' visa system, saying Korean companies will likely hesitate to make new investments in the U.S. until that happens.

Hyundai Motor Group Metaplant America came to fruition after a 2022 agreement with joint venture partner LG Energy Solution, according to a February 2024 news release from Gov. Brian Kemp.

At the time, Kemp's office noted more than $4.3 billion were being put into a battery cell manufacturing joint venture at the Metaplant in Bryan County, and Hyundai was partnering with SK On for a Bartow County electric vehicle battery manufacturing facility that was set to supply Hyundai Motor Group’s plants in the U.S.

“Georgia is like a second home to us,” Hyundai Motor Group said in the February 2024 release. “On behalf of all of us at Hyundai Motor Group, we are very proud that Hyundai’s investments in Georgia will create tens of thousands of great paying American jobs and bring tens of billions of dollars in economic impact for decades to come. Thank you to our partners and to the great people of Georgia for your support and for making us feel so much at home.”

About 1,200 people were staffed at Hyundai's Ellabell plant, which cost $7.6 billion when it opened last year, the Associated Press reported.

The Associated Press contributed reporting and writing.