Home > National > Politics

Dismay, but also reflection, in Korean community following LG-Hyundai factory raid in Georgia

Published: 08 Sep. 2025, 17:31 Updated: 08 Sep. 2025, 18:07

A guesthouse near a joint battery factory operated by Hyundai Motor Group and LG Energy Solution in Savannah, Georgia, where U.S. authorities carried out a large-scale immigration raid on Sept. 4. [KANG TAE-HWA]

SAVANNAH, Georgia — A guesthouse near a joint battery factory operated by Hyundai Motor Group and LG Energy Solution in Ellabell, Georgia, stood partly empty after U.S. immigration authorities arrested Korean employees on Thursday in a crackdown ordered by the Trump administration.

“Eight Korean employees were staying here, but three never returned after the raid,” James Rim, president of the Korean American Association of Southeast Georgia, told the JoongAng Ilbo on Sunday. “The others narrowly avoided arrest but left immediately after the company ordered them back to Korea.

"Hyundai and LG affiliate employees moved up their schedules and flew back to Korea right after the raid. The three who remain detained still have their belongings in their rooms, and I am waiting for them to return safely. If they are sent straight back from the detention facility or deported, I will probably have to send their belongings to Korea."

James Rim, president of the Korean American Association of Southeast Georgia, speaks in an interview with the JoongAng Ilbo on Sept. 7 at the guesthouse he operates near a joint battery factory operated by Hyundai Motor Group and LG Energy Solution in Savannah, Georgia. [KANG TAE-HWA]

Cigarette butts with Korean labels lay outside the guesthouse, a sign that many of those caught were short-term visitors. Nearby guesthouses and hotels used by Korean workers also emptied suddenly, as did houses that had served as dormitories.

“Most guests left for Korea immediately after the raid,” a guesthouse operator said. “The crackdown will hurt not just lodging businesses but restaurants as well.”

Korean cigarette butts sit in an ashtray at a guesthouse near a joint battery factory operated by Hyundai Motor Group and LG Energy Solution in Savannah, Georgia. [KANG TAE-HWA]

At a local eatery frequented by the workers, those who avoided arrest shared accounts of the operation.

Joseph Kim, a permanent resident who asked to use a pseudonym, said he was released quickly because he belonged to the U.S. entity of his company.

“But Korean employees on short-term visas were dragged away like criminals,” he said. "Many people did not speak English well, and there was no atmosphere where they could explain themselves. If communication broke down, the officers became even more forceful, handcuffing people and dragging them away."

Colleagues who hold U.S. citizenship said they later saw detained workers wearing blue prison uniforms in photos published by the JoongAng Ilbo.

“They all came here as skilled technicians,” one worker said. “Their families in Korea must have been devastated to see them behind bars in a foreign country.”

A subcontracted worker who avoided arrest because they were off-site that day said the incident "might have been prevented if employees had entered on proper work visas such as L-1 or E-2."

“The ones arrested were mostly subcontractors, not employees of the big companies,” the worker said. “The main firms cut costs by limiting expensive visas to headquarters staff and pushed the risk onto lower-tier subcontractors. By the time you reach the fifth or sixth subcontractor, they have no choice but to send workers on short-term B1 or B2 visas or under Electronic System for Travel Authorization.”

A guesthouse near a joint battery factory operated by Hyundai Motor Group and LG Energy Solution, where U.S. authorities conducted a large-scale immigration raid on Sept. 4. [KANG TAE-HWA]

James Park, another subcontractor employee using a pseudonym, recalled that when Hyundai Motor Company built its Alabama plant in 2005, state officials issued temporary permits allowing short-term visa holders to work during construction.

“This time, big companies pushed all the risk onto subcontractors, and that may have worsened the situation,” he said.

The Korean government has told all detained workers to sign voluntary departure agreements, a step that acknowledges a violation of immigration law. Voluntary departure allows reentry if the overstay lasted less than 180 days, but records of violation remain and may complicate future visa approvals.

Forced deportation, by contrast, can trigger a permanent entry ban, while immigration court cases can take time and money.

“We chose voluntary departure because forced deportation could effectively mean a lifetime ban,” a government official said. “But in this case, even people who are innocent — including those who came only for simple meetings allowed under ESTA or B1 visas — will inevitably have to admit to a violation, and we cannot rule out the possibility of unintended victims.

"This is why we are asking every worker to sign the consent form. If an individual refuses to board the charter flight because they choose to take the risk and pursue a lawsuit, the government has no way to stop it."

Andrew Lee, an attorney with Nelson Mullins, a U.S. law firm that handles Korean investment cases, warned that such an approach could set a damaging precedent.

He noted that while voluntary departure offers the fastest resolution, forcing innocent workers to admit guilt could set a damaging precedent for future cases and potentially hinder Korean companies when they attempt to bring in replacement staff after the workers return home.

A joint battery factory operated by Hyundai Motor Group and LG Energy Solution in Georgia [KANG TAE-HWA]

Korean community leaders in the United States worry the case could sour public opinion.

“Most Korean factories here are highly automated and provide few local jobs,” one source from a Korean community said on condition of anonymity. “Now, with growing criticism that Korean plants are not hiring locally, this could be taken as proof that Koreans are working illegally.

"Ulsan became a ‘Hyundai city’ because so many local families are directly or indirectly connected to the company. In Savannah, there is a large Korean plant, but almost no households are tied to Korean firms. In the long run, we need to think about building a structure of coexistence with the local community."

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY KANG TAE-HWA [[email protected]]