U.S. Homeland Security calls it largest single-site enforcement operation in two decades as South Korea voices strong concern
Federal agents stormed Hyundai’s electric vehicle hub in rural Georgia, detaining 475 workers in a sweeping raid that officials described as the largest of its kind in Homeland Security’s 20-year history. Most of those taken into custody were South Korean nationals, a detail that has drawn a sharp response from Seoul and rattled a community that had pinned hopes on the $7.6 billion project.
The Largest Workplace Raid in Years
Thursday’s operation stretched across the vast Hyundai Motor Group Metaplant America in Ellabell, about 25 miles west of Savannah.
Steven Schrank, the special agent in charge of Homeland Security Investigations in Georgia, told reporters the action followed months of digging into allegations of illegal hiring. “This was not a one-day decision,” he said, framing it as a carefully built case rather than a sudden strike.
The raid focused on an adjacent facility still under construction, a joint venture between Hyundai and LG Energy Solution meant to churn out batteries for EVs. Construction crews and workers there were caught off guard as hundreds of officers swept in.
Court documents filed the same day revealed a telling gap: federal prosecutors admitted they don’t yet know which company or contractor actually employed the workers now accused of being in the country unlawfully.
Local Impact and a State’s Pride Tested
The Metaplant has been held up as Georgia’s crown jewel of economic development. Governor Brian Kemp often points to it as proof that the state can lure international giants and secure thousands of high-paying jobs.
For locals in Bryan County, where farms meet fast-growing bedroom suburbs, the news landed with a thud. One small-town shop owner described it as “like the rug being pulled out.” The project employs about 1,200 people, and its promise of steady work has shaped the area’s housing market, schools, and even traffic patterns.
A single sentence sums up the mood: people are shocked.
Seoul Pushes Back
The South Korean government did not stay quiet. Its foreign ministry issued a statement of “concern and regret,” demanding that its citizens’ rights and the activities of its investors not be “unjustly infringed” by U.S. enforcement.
Officials in Seoul said diplomats from Washington and Atlanta were already on their way to Georgia. An on-site response team is also being organized.
That urgency reflects the unusual profile of the detainees. Koreans are rarely caught in immigration sweeps. ICE data show that out of more than 270,000 deportations in the 12 months ending September 2024, only 46 involved South Koreans.
Lawyers and Legal Confusion
Immigration attorney Charles Kuck, who represents several of the detained, said two of his clients had traveled from South Korea under the visa waiver program. That program allows short-term visits for business or tourism without a visa, but explicitly bans employment.
One client had been in the U.S. just a few weeks. Another, he said, was living in worker housing near the plant. “They were here to do legitimate work under what they thought were legitimate arrangements,” Kuck said, warning that the lines between contractor, subcontractor, and individual responsibility are blurred.
The legal filings so far underscore that confusion. Prosecutors admitted the actual employer of the workers is “currently unknown.”
Why This Raid Matters for Business
For Hyundai, the raid risks becoming a distraction from its ambitions to lead the American EV market.
The company broke ground on the Ellabell site in 2022 and began producing vehicles last year. The battery plant under construction was meant to secure a local supply chain at a time when U.S. policy heavily favors domestic sourcing.
The scale of investment is staggering: $7.6 billion across both car and battery facilities. Georgia officials estimate 8,100 jobs will eventually flow from it.
But for now, headlines are dominated by arrests, not innovation. Investors and analysts are watching closely to see whether production schedules will be affected, and whether scrutiny spreads to other parts of Hyundai’s U.S. operations.
Here’s a quick look at the numbers that matter most right now:
| Detail | Figure |
|---|---|
| Workers Detained | 475 |
| Plant Investment | $7.6 billion |
| Current Employees | ~1,200 |
| Anticipated Jobs | 8,100 |
| Distance from Savannah | 25 miles |
Political Ripples and Community Questions
The timing is also political. Immigration enforcement is under a microscope in an election year, and Georgia is a swing state where both parties are watching every headline.
Locals, meanwhile, are caught between pride in landing Hyundai and anxiety over what happens next. A longtime Bryan County resident summed it up over coffee: “We wanted jobs. We didn’t expect federal agents rolling in like this.”
The raid raises immediate questions—how deep the hiring problems go, whether contractors were negligent, and how the U.S. will balance enforcement with keeping foreign investment intact.
For now, the site of Georgia’s flagship manufacturing project sits at the center of a tug-of-war between national security, international diplomacy, and local livelihoods.
