Crystal Charles
South Korea will dispatch a chartered plane on Wednesday to repatriate hundreds of its citizens detained in a large-scale immigration raid in the US state of Georgia, national carrier Korean Air has confirmed.
The operation follows the arrest of about 475 workers last Thursday at a construction site for a $4.3 billion Hyundai Motor Group–LG Energy Solution electric-vehicle battery plant in Bryan County. Roughly 300 of those detained were South Korean nationals, according to US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
ICE officials said the individuals were found to be working illegally, in violation of their visa terms. The agency has stepped up enforcement as part of a nationwide crackdown on unauthorized migration ordered by President Donald Trump.
The detentions have triggered a backlash in Seoul, where officials noted South Korea’s significant investment in US industry and its close strategic alliance with Washington.
Foreign Minister Cho Hyun, who described the arrests as a “grave situation,” left for Washington on Monday to press for assurances that the workers will not face the standard multi-year re-entry ban typically imposed after deportation.
In a statement on Sunday, President Trump defended the enforcement action, urging foreign companies to comply with US labor and immigration laws. “What we ask in return is that you hire and train American workers,” he said on Truth Social.
Korean Air had said its special flight will depart for Atlanta on Tuesday and return with the detained nationals once their release procedures are complete.