Plans To Send 300 Korean Detainees Home Delayed In GA: Report

ATLANTA, GA — A plan to take home the 300 South Korean nationals who were detained during a recent Georgia immigration raid was derailed, leaving the fate of the Korean citizens in lingo.

A South Korean charter plane landed Wednesday at the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport to transport the nationals after 475 workers were detained during a Sept. 4 raid of a Hyundai manufacturing facility in Ellabell.

U.S. authorities released video showing some being shackled with chains around their hands, ankles and waists, causing shock and a sense of betrayal among many in South Korea, a key U.S. ally.

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

South Korean TV footage showed the charter plane, a Boeing 747-8i from Korean Air, taking off at Incheon International Airport, just west of Seoul.

South Korea’s Foreign Ministry said it was talking with U.S. officials about letting the plane return home with the released workers as soon as possible. But it said the plane cannot depart from the U.S. on Wednesday as South Korea earlier wished due to an unspecified reason involving the U.S. side.

The Korean workers are currently being held at an immigration detention center in Folkston in southeast Georgia. South Korean media reported they will be freed and driven 285 miles (460 kilometers) by bus to Atlanta to take the charter plane. Three buses were parked at the detention center Wednesday morning.

South Korean officials said they've been negotiating with the U.S. to win “voluntary” departures of the workers, rather than deportations that could result in making them ineligible to return to the U.S. for up to 10 years.

The raid on Hyundai Motor Group Metaplant America 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.

"This operation underscores our commitment to protecting jobs for Georgians and Americans, ensuring a level playing field for businesses that comply with the law, safeguarding the integrity of our economy and protecting workers from exploitation," Steven Schrank, special agent in charge of Homeland Security Investigations, said at a past news conference, per CBS News.

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, Schrank said at the news conference.

The investigation into the legal statuses of the detainees spanned months.

The Associated Press contributed reporting and writing.