View of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention facility in Folkston, Georgia, where workers from the Hyundai Motor–LG Energy Solution battery plant construction site are being held following an immigration raid on September 4 (local time). (Image courtesy of Yonhap)
FOLKSTON, Ga. Sept. 9 (Korea Bizwire) — The return of more than 300 South Korean workers detained in last week’s U.S. immigration raid at Hyundai Motor and LG Energy Solution’s joint battery plant is drawing relief in Seoul, but partner companies say their absence has left a gaping hole in the highly specialized construction project.
“These were not ordinary laborers,” said a representative of an LG subcontractor, speaking on condition of anonymity. “They are skilled technicians, and replacing them in the United States on short notice is nearly impossible.”
The company said seven of its employees were detained, most traveling under the U.S. visa waiver program or short-term business visas.
U.S. immigration authorities argued that while B1 visa holders may enter office spaces for meetings, they are prohibited from working on production floors, effectively barring them from the plant’s core operations.
Korean officials are negotiating to secure the workers’ voluntary departure without long-term reentry bans, though subcontractors expect they may not be able to return for years.
In front of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention facility in Folkston, Georgia, where workers from the Hyundai Motor–LG Energy Solution battery plant construction site are being held following an immigration raid, an executive from a partner company whose employee was detained is speaking to reporters. (Image courtesy of Yonhap)
Specialized Work Halted
The detentions come at a critical juncture: the facility is 98 percent complete and preparing to begin cell production.
Most of the remaining work involves the installation of specialized equipment and process integration, tasks requiring expertise rather than general construction skills.
“Entire teams handling certain processes were taken,” said another subcontractor representative outside the Folkston detention center. “We’ve even asked LG to consider pausing the plant for a month or two.”
Local sentiment is mixed. Georgia residents sympathetic to former President Donald Trump’s hard-line immigration stance defended the raids. Yet some expressed unease.
“This is a conservative area and very pro-Trump,” said Lee Sang-mok, a Korean resident of 15 years. “But how do they expect to finish the factory without Korean technicians?” A passing truck driver stopped to shout, “I’m with you. No ICE!”
Wider Fallout and Worker Advocacy
The crackdown also ensnared employees from other countries, whose lack of consular or legal support could prolong detention.
Latino advocacy groups condemned the operation, describing it as a “militarized attack” on migrant workers, including pregnant women.
In a press conference, Migrant Equity Southeast and other nonprofits accused Hyundai and its contractors of exploiting layered subcontracting systems to maximize profits while leaving workers vulnerable.
“Corporations must be held accountable for every worker in their supply chains, regardless of immigration status,” the groups said.
The incident underscores the collision between Washington’s stricter immigration enforcement and Korea’s industrial ambitions in the United States.
With production timetables now in jeopardy, partner firms warn that labor shortages could delay the launch of one of the most strategically important EV battery projects in the American South.
M. H. Lee (mhlee@koreabizwire.com)
