ICE raid results in the apprehension of numerous South Koreans: a closer look at the incident's circumstances

In a significant development, the largest single-site immigration and labor enforcement operation in U.S. history was carried out at a Hyundai plant near Savannah, Georgia, co-owned by LG Energy Solution. The raid, conducted on a battery plant construction site in Ellabell, Georgia, resulted in the arrest of 475 workers.

President Trump recently hosted President Lee Jae Myung of South Korea, who pledged to invest an additional $150 billion in the U.S., including in battery factories. However, this operation in Georgia has raised concerns among South Korean officials and the South Korean government, who have expressed concern over the potential infringement on the rights of its nationals.

The raid was conducted to protect jobs for Georgians and Americans, ensure a level playing field for businesses that comply with the law, safeguard the integrity of the economy, and protect workers from exploitation, according to Special Agent Steven Schrank. The Georgia Department of Economic Development expects anyone doing business in Georgia to follow federal and state laws.

The majority of the arrested workers were South Korean citizens. LG Energy Solution, one of the companies involved, stated that employees of both companies have been taken into custody and are cooperating. Hyundai, the other company, stated that none of those detained were Hyundai employees.

The plant employs about 1,200 people as part of a multibillion-dollar facility. The workers were either in the U.S. illegally or working at the site unlawfully, with some overstaying their visas and others unlawfully crossing the border. No charges have been filed against the company or the workers, but the investigation is ongoing.

On the same day as the raid in Georgia, a food manufacturing plant in central New York was also raided, and dozens of people suspected of being in the country illegally were detained. The Trump administration has vowed to hold companies accountable for employing people in the country illegally.

Embassy officials were sent to the site of the raid by the South Korean government. The South Korean foreign ministry spokesperson stated that the business activities of their investors must not be unjustly infringed. The South Korean government has not publicly commented on the pledged investment following the raid.

The operation in Georgia is the biggest workplace raid during the Trump administration. The raid comes as part of a series of major operations conducted in Texas and Chicago, with Texas having the largest National Guard presence and Chicago undergoing the "Operation Midway Blitz" targeting criminal illegal immigrants.