US Raid Detains 475 at Hyundai and LG Battery Site, Halting Construction and Drawing Seoul Protest

475 detained at a major Georgia investment

Federal agents detained 475 people at the Hyundai Motor Group complex in Ellabell, near Savannah, Georgia, halting construction of a $4.3 billion battery factory and prompting South Korea to send diplomats to assist its nationals. Homeland Security officials said most of those detained were South Korean citizens and called the operation the largest enforcement action at a single site in the history of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).

As of Friday, September 5, 2025, no criminal charges had been announced. Agents executed a search warrant following months of investigation into alleged unlawful hiring at HL GA Battery Company, the battery venture owned by Hyundai and LG Energy Solution. The adjacent Hyundai electric vehicle factory, which began production last year, continued operating.

Most detainees were taken to an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility in Folkston, near the Florida border, while officials examined their individual circumstances. Some people initially stopped were U.S. citizens or lawful permanent residents and were released after their status was verified.

South Korea's foreign ministry expressed concern and regret, saying American law enforcement should respect the rights of Korean citizens and investors. Some South Korean media accounts put the total detained above the official U.S. figure of 475 and estimated that roughly 300 were South Korean nationals. The ministry was seeking clarification from U.S. authorities.

The operation placed Georgia's largest economic development project at the center of a dispute over immigration enforcement, foreign investment and permission to work. The immediate consequences were concrete: construction crews stopped work, hundreds of people entered immigration custody, and companies began checking who had been detained and which employers were responsible for them.

How the operation unfolded

HSI said the raid followed months of inquiry into employment practices at the battery construction site. ICE, HSI and other federal agencies participated, including the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

Agents entered the site, instructed workers to stop construction, lined up crews and checked identification. Local video showed officers telling workers to remain in place while they carried out the warrant. Authorities said several people tried to flee.

Officials described the operation as controlled. One person at the scene received treatment for an illness associated with heat, and an agent suffered a minor laceration. No major injuries were reported.

Investigators said some detainees had entered the United States without authorization. Others had arrived legally but lacked permission to work, or had stayed beyond the period allowed by their visas. People verified as U.S. citizens or permanent residents were released.

Steven Schrank, the special agent in charge of HSI in Georgia, described the operation as an effort to protect workers, lawful employers and the labor market. He said its purpose was to:

protect jobs for Georgians and Americans, ensure a level playing field for businesses that follow the law, safeguard the integrity of the economy, and protect workers from exploitation.

The events sit within a longer sequence of factory development, investment talks and immigration enforcement:

• Last year: Hyundai's vehicle factory began production at the Ellabell campus.
• January 2025: Donald Trump returned to the White House, and immigration enforcement became more aggressive.
• July 2025: Seoul discussed a $350 billion investment plan intended to ease tariff tensions.
• Just over a week before the raid: Trump hosted South Korean President Lee Jae Myung for talks that included further investment plans.
• By Friday, September 5: Battery construction had stopped, detainees were being processed, and no criminal charges had been announced.

Who employed the detained workers?

Investigators said the detainees included people working directly at the construction site and others employed by contractors and subcontractors. Officials were still verifying those employment relationships when the companies issued their initial statements.

Hyundai said that, as far as it knew, none of the people detained were Hyundai employees. It said it was working to understand the circumstances. LG Energy Solution said it was cooperating with authorities and gathering details, while a spokesperson said employees of both companies were among those taken into custody.

The companies' statements left different descriptions of who had been detained. Establishing each person's employer matters because large construction projects divide work among several businesses, each with its own hiring arrangements and responsibilities.

HL GA Battery Company is being built to supply battery cells for Hyundai, Kia and Genesis electric vehicles. It sits beside Hyundai's vehicle factory on a campus covering 3,000 acres outside Savannah. Together, the investments involve billions of dollars and thousands of anticipated jobs in the American electric vehicle supply chain.

HL GA Battery Company said it was cooperating with authorities and paused work to assist. Hyundai said vehicle production was unaffected. Workers at the operating vehicle factory could therefore continue producing cars while construction crews at the neighboring battery project faced an interruption.

Seoul seeks protection for citizens and investors

South Korea dispatched embassy and consular staff from Washington and Atlanta and formed a response team at the site. The diplomats were tasked with assisting detainees and communicating with American authorities. Consular officials were also working to secure access to counsel and monitor conditions at the Folkston detention facility.

The foreign ministry said the business activities of Korean investors and the rights of Korean nationals should not be unjustly violated during U.S. law enforcement. Lee Jae woong, a ministry spokesperson, stated the government's position during a briefing in Seoul:

The economic activities of our investors and the legitimate rights and interests of our nationals must not be unjustly infringed in the course of U.S. law enforcement.

Seoul's response combined support for its citizens and companies with respect for U.S. law. The case arrived during a period of close security cooperation and substantial South Korean investment in American manufacturing.

Just over a week before the raid, Trump hosted President Lee Jae Myung at the White House. The South Korean leader discussed an additional $150 billion in investment plans for the United States, including battery manufacturing. In July, Seoul also discussed a broader $350 billion investment plan intended to reduce tariff tensions.

The Ellabell project predates those discussions, but it is part of the same push to build manufacturing capacity in the United States. State and local officials have promoted the complex as a cornerstone of American electric vehicle ambitions.

The diplomatic friction is especially visible on large construction projects that depend on international companies, layers of contractors and foreign nationals carrying out temporary assignments. The United States seeks factories and jobs from allies while tightening enforcement over who may legally perform the work needed to build them.

A wider campaign against unauthorized employment

ICE has expanded workplace operations since Trump returned to office in January, as part of his pledge to conduct the largest deportation campaign in U.S. history. Enforcement has reached farms, construction projects, restaurants and facilities connected to the auto industry.

The number of people in ICE custody exceeded 60,000 in August, the agency's highest recorded figure. Pew Research Center data also showed that the U.S. labor force lost more than 1.2 million immigrants from January through July, including unauthorized migrants and legal residents.

Workplace investigations commonly begin with tips or audits suggesting an employer has hired people without permission to work. Agents examine employment records, interview witnesses and trace recruitment through contractors. When investigators believe there is probable cause of unlawful employment practices or related crimes, they seek a warrant.

At a large construction site, officers may temporarily detain many workers while checking identities, immigration status and employment records. The Ellabell operation included such checks, with citizens and permanent residents released after verification.

The White House presented the raid as part of its campaign against unauthorized employment while saying foreign companies remained welcome to invest if they followed the law. Abigail Jackson, a White House spokeswoman, stated the requirement for foreign workers:

Foreign workers must enter the U.S. legally and with proper work authorizations.

Advocates for immigrant workers argue that workplace raids often detain people with no criminal history and can make vulnerable workers more fearful of coming forward. Officials say enforcement is intended to discourage illegal hiring and reduce exploitation.

South Korean citizens are rarely among those deported by ICE compared with other nationalities. During the 12 months ending September 30, the agency recorded 46 removals of South Korean citizens out of more than 270,000 removals in total. That small number helps explain why the detention of hundreds of Koreans in Georgia drew such attention.

Permission to enter and permission to work

U.S. law prohibits employers from knowingly hiring, or continuing to employ, someone who lacks authorization to work. Entering the country legally and being allowed to take a job are separate requirements. A person can have permission to visit without having permission to work.

Officials described several groups among the detainees. Some had entered without inspection and had no path to work authorization. Others had overstayed their visas. A third group held a status allowing visits but not employment, including travel under the Visa Waiver Program (VWP).

Every employer must complete Form I-9 for each new hire, checking acceptable documents that establish identity and authorization to work. E-Verify is an online system that checks information against Social Security and immigration databases. Federal law allows its use in many circumstances, and some states require it for certain employers.

Georgia requires E-Verify for many business license renewals and for businesses contracting with the state. Which contractors and subcontractors at Ellabell used the system, and how workers were hired through the different vendors, remained unclear.

Investigators will examine how companies checked documents and whether managers ignored warning signs or coached workers to present false papers. Employment records will help them trace responsibility through the businesses involved in construction.

Civil fines can range from hundreds to thousands of dollars for each violation. Repeated violations can therefore produce substantial penalties. Prosecutors can also pursue criminal charges if they find a pattern and practice of knowingly employing unauthorized workers, including charges against individuals responsible for hiring.

Authorities said on Friday that the investigation remained active and no charges had been filed. Its eventual outcome will depend on what investigators find in employment records and other evidence.

What the construction pause means for Georgia

Hyundai's vehicle factory is valued at about $7.6 billion and currently employs roughly 1,200 people, with plans for further growth. The neighboring battery venture with LG Energy Solution is worth about $4.3 billion. Hyundai has promoted plans for the campus to produce up to 500,000 vehicles a year once fully built out.

Georgia officials have called the complex the largest economic development project in the state's history. Governor Brian Kemp has celebrated it as a major achievement for jobs and growth, while businesses around Savannah and Bryan County have worked to attract suppliers to the area.

The raid stopped battery construction and created uncertainty about the schedule for finishing the factory and bringing its equipment into service. Shares of LG Energy Solution fell after the news, reflecting investor concern that the project could be delayed.

A prolonged interruption could affect supplier contracts, workforce plans and the schedules for introducing vehicle models. Hyundai's existing vehicle production continued, but the future battery facility is intended to support supply for Hyundai, Kia and Genesis as the campus expands.

Local leaders expect the electric vehicle cluster to generate thousands of jobs over the next decade. The pause therefore matters beyond the detained workers and companies directly involved: suppliers and future employees have plans tied to the project's progress.

Battery supply and the political response

The battery plant supports American policy goals connected to domestic production requirements and electric vehicle tax incentives. The Inflation Reduction Act created stronger credits for cars using battery components produced in North America, encouraging major automakers to commit to new battery capacity in the United States.

South Korean companies, which are leaders in advanced battery technology, have played a central role in that expansion. A lasting interruption at Ellabell would complicate supply planning for Hyundai and Kia and could constrain inventory for models intended to use batteries from the facility once it opens.

Georgia's political response reflected competing priorities. The state's Democratic Party criticized the raid as politically motivated. Kemp's office reiterated its support for enforcing immigration laws.

The project connects those arguments directly. It is a major investment designed to create American manufacturing jobs, while the federal investigation concerns whether some of the workers helping build it had permission to work. Construction schedules, immigration cases and decisions about hiring practices now affect the same development.

Why contractor responsibilities matter

Large factory projects rely on contractors and subcontractors that recruit across state and national borders. That structure can make responsibility for hiring and document checks harder to trace. Investigators must establish which business employed each worker, who verified the documents and which managers knew about possible problems.

Companies with extensive compliance programs can still face exposure when a contractor ignores legal requirements. Multinational businesses also need to distinguish between temporary assignments that are permitted under a person's immigration status and work that requires a different visa or authorization.

Executives often rely on vendors to manage those arrangements. The Ellabell case is likely to prompt reviews of Form I-9 records, E-Verify enrollment and contract terms assigning responsibility for compliance.

Insurers and lenders sometimes require proof of compliance before providing coverage or financing. Those requirements may become stricter for projects dependent on large foreign workforces or complicated networks of contractors.

For the businesses involved, practical responses may include internal reviews, additional compliance training and closer checks on contractor hiring. Those steps concern both the records behind existing employment and the arrangements needed to rebuild crews if construction resumes.

What happens next for workers and companies?

Immigration officers will process detainees individually. Some may be released on their own recognizance, meaning without paying a bond, or released on bond, particularly if they have community ties or pending claims. Others may remain in custody while their cases proceed through immigration court.

South Korean consular officials are assisting nationals, seeking access to legal counsel and monitoring detention conditions. The foreign ministry is also trying to clarify the numbers and circumstances of those held.

Federal investigators will seek employment records from contractors and subcontractors to trace hiring decisions. Prosecutors could bring charges if evidence shows managers knowingly hired unauthorized workers. Civil penalties for paperwork violations may also follow without criminal charges.

Construction could resume after the initial investigative phase, though schedules may change while contractors rebuild their crews. The length of the interruption will matter to suppliers, staffing plans and the intended start of battery production.

Lawmakers supporting aggressive workplace enforcement argue that it protects wages and discourages exploitation. Opponents warn that large raids can detain many people without criminal records and discourage investment, including investment by companies from allied countries.

Ellabell brings those positions together at a project involving billions of dollars from South Korea. The immediate work is to resolve individual immigration cases and establish responsibility for hiring. The broader political issue is how the administration manages its pursuit of foreign manufacturing investment alongside its campaign against unauthorized employment.

The Bottom Line

• Homeland Security officials said 475 people were detained at Ellabell, most of them South Korean citizens.
• HSI called the operation its largest enforcement action at a single site.
• Most detainees were taken to Folkston. Citizens and permanent residents were released after verification.
• Construction stopped at the $4.3 billion Hyundai and LG Energy Solution battery plant, while Hyundai's vehicle factory continued operating.
• South Korea sent diplomats to assist detainees and called for protection of its citizens and investors.
• Investigators are examining employment arrangements involving contractors and subcontractors. No criminal charges had been announced by September 5, 2025.
• The White House said foreign workers must enter legally and have proper authorization to work.
• The interruption puts construction schedules and future battery supply plans under pressure at Georgia's largest economic development project.