South Korea Condemns U.S. Raid Over Detainees Labeled Prisoners of War

(GEORGIA, UNITED STATES) More than 300 South Korean technicians flown out of the United States after a sweeping immigration raid at the Hyundai‑LG battery plant construction site in Bryan County have become the center of a fast-moving diplomatic storm.

In the first week of September 2025, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents detained about 475 workers, including more than 316 South Koreans, along with Chinese, Japanese, and Indonesian nationals. South Korea condemned the treatment of its citizens—who were seen in restraints in widely shared video—as akin to “prisoners of war,” and warned the fallout could chill future investment.

The workers left on a chartered Korean Air flight from Atlanta on September 11–12, 2025, after both governments reached a deal for “voluntary departure” rather than formal deportation. South Korean officials pushed hard for that outcome to help the workers avoid 10‑year reentry bans that often follow deportation. They also secured a pledge that the workers would not be handcuffed during transport to Hartsfield‑Jackson International Airport.

The plane landed in Seoul on September 12 with 316 South Koreans and 14 foreign employees who had been assigned to the same build‑out.

President Lee Jae Myung called the operation “bewildering” and said it could deter Korean firms from placing staff in the United States for time‑sensitive projects. Foreign Minister Cho Hyun met U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and said the case would test whether Washington can match its drive for clean‑energy manufacturing with a lawful and humane approach to the foreign staff who help launch these sites.

According to analysis by VisaVerge.com, the clash exposes a policy gap: the United States has welcomed large‑scale Korean investment while not creating a clear visa lane for the skilled technicians who install and calibrate specialized production lines.

U.S. officials defended the action. President Trump and the Department of Homeland Security said the raid was a lawful operation targeting “illegal aliens,” arguing most detainees either overstayed or worked outside the scope of their visas. DHS officials also described it as the largest single‑site immigration enforcement action in U.S. history. ICE said companies and contractors are responsible for ensuring that foreign staff have work authorization that matches the tasks they perform on U.S. soil.

Raid, Detentions, and Repatriation

The Hyundai‑LG battery plant is a $7.59 billion project and one of the largest Korean investments in the United States. Construction is complex and time‑bound, with imported tools, clean‑room standards, and software that require seasoned technicians.

South Korean media reported that ICE agents handcuffed and chained workers’ wrists, waists, and ankles during detention, a detail that spread quickly online and spurred protests in Seoul. Lawmaker Yoon Hu‑duk and other officials said the scenes looked like the workers were being treated as “prisoners of war,” language that struck a nerve in a country with compulsory military service and a strong sense of national dignity.

By mid‑September, buses carried the detainees from a detention facility in Folkston, Georgia, to the Atlanta airport without restraints, a condition South Korea insisted on during negotiations. Officials framed the exit as a “voluntary departure,” not a deportation, to reduce future entry problems. Families in Incheon and Seoul waited for loved ones who had been sent to Georgia to set up or test equipment, only to find themselves in custody with little notice.

South Korean officials say they want to prevent a repeat, and they want clarity on how the United States will handle similar cases while battery, EV, and chip projects ramp up across several states. Hyundai and LG, while reaffirming their commitment to U.S. projects, said they’re reviewing staffing and compliance practices to limit any business disruption. The companies rely on small teams of specialists to bring plants online; every week lost can delay production and contracts.

Policy Stakes for Investment and Visas

The raid highlighted a blunt reality: South Korea does not have a dedicated skilled‑worker visa quota with the United States, unlike some other trade partners. Many detained workers reportedly entered on visas that allow short business visits or training, but not hands‑on manufacturing or construction. That mismatch—between the labor a plant build‑out needs and what a visa allows—has become a fault line.

Trade and labor analysts, including Jang Sang‑sik of the Korea International Trade Association and Hur Jung of Sogang University, said the United States focused on capital investment and tax credits but fell short on labor planning. Their message is simple: advanced factories need highly trained foreign technicians at the start. If the rules don’t make space for that work, schedules slip, costs rise, and trust erodes.

Key policy implications:
– Investment climate: South Korea became the largest foreign investor in the United States in 2023, with major stakes in batteries, EVs, and semiconductors. Officials and business leaders now warn that high‑profile enforcement actions could cool boardroom confidence and push new build‑outs elsewhere.
– Visa policy: Both governments agreed to discuss visa reforms. Seoul seeks a formal skilled‑worker quota or clear pathways that allow short‑term, hands‑on technical work during plant launches. Without that, companies face the risk that routine site tasks may be viewed as unauthorized labor.
– Enforcement pattern: The Georgia operation fits a broader shift after President Trump’s 2025 call for a crackdown on illegal employment. ICE increased site visits and audits, with a focus on large projects and layered subcontractors where visa and work‑authorization mistakes can multiply.

U.S. authorities say the law is the law: if a visa doesn’t permit certain work, employers and contractors must adjust their staffing or apply for workers with the right authorization. Korean officials say they respect U.S. law but want a predictable process so trained technicians can do time‑limited, essential tasks without risking detention or bans.

Human Impact and Next Steps

Behind the headlines are families and careers. Many of the detained South Koreans were mid‑career technicians with years of experience installing battery cell lines, calibrating robots, or writing machine control software. Some had spent only weeks in Georgia before the raid.

A common scenario: a worker sent to verify a tool from a Korean supplier arrives under a short‑term visa tied to training or meetings; once on site, the work blurs into hands‑on setup—work that may fall outside the visa’s scope. After the raid, workers faced sudden detention, missed paychecks, and tough choices about when, if ever, they could return for future assignments.

For local U.S. communities around the Hyundai‑LG battery plant, the stakes are also high. County leaders see jobs, tax revenue, and supplier growth. If specialized teams can’t enter or must leave mid‑project, opening dates slip. American workers waiting for training on new lines may be idled. Subcontractors can face penalties when milestones are missed because the only people who can fix a machine are 7,000 miles away.

What happens next will hinge on two tracks: diplomacy and compliance.

Diplomatic track (possible measures under discussion):
1. Negotiate a skilled‑worker pathway tailored to high‑tech launches.
2. Consider short‑term project visas with strict reporting and caps by site.
3. Explore joint vetting of contractors that supply foreign technicians.

Compliance track (corporate and contractor steps already underway):
– Corporate legal teams mapping tasks that require work authorization vs. tasks that fit within short business visits.
– Subcontractor agreements spelling out visa duties in plain language and including audits.
– Plant managers creating “clean lines” between observation and operation: touching a tool or training a U.S. worker on live equipment likely requires authorization.
– Korean project leaders planning longer lead times to file appropriate categories, even if that means sending smaller teams for longer periods.

Practical guidance for affected workers and employers:
– Workers should keep thorough records of past stays, contracts, and job duties.
– Employers should issue detailed letters that match daily tasks to the visa’s permitted activities.
– Expect case‑by‑case determinations: voluntary departure may reduce future entry problems, but no blanket guarantees exist.

The diplomatic tone has cooled slightly since the charter flight departed. Both sides say they aim to balance investment needs with law enforcement. Still, trust has taken a hit.

Korean media continues to revisit the “prisoners of war” framing, while U.S. officials stress equal treatment under the law. Whether this becomes a one‑off crisis or a lasting scar will depend on how fast the two governments can set clear guardrails for foreign technicians at large clean‑energy sites.

For official updates and guidance on worksite enforcement policy and employer compliance, see U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Korean nationals seeking help can contact the South Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs Consular Call Center at +82‑2‑3210‑0404. Employers and workers affected by the raid may also reach out to the ICE Atlanta Field Office for case‑specific questions.

As more battery, EV, and chip plants rise across the Southeast, this episode offers a plain warning: money, land, and permits are not enough. The people who install and teach the first shift to run advanced tools must have a lawful way to do that work. Without a workable path, the risk of another high‑profile immigration raid—and another airport departure lounge filled with stunned technicians—will remain part of the cost of building in America.